Can't Go Back
by RosalynGlass
Summary: Hope had been his miracle, he had never considered himself lucky enough to get another. The universe must have disagreed or maybe it just made a mistake, because they still showed up, two more, and who was he to deny a miracle? *Hiatus*
1. Prologue

A\N: For this story Marcel never became an original, therefore the Original family was never put to sleep. This starts three years after the season seven finale of TVD.

•

 **"Sacrifice, that's what we do**

 **For the people we love."**

* * *

Caroline's feet pounded against the earth, as her heart pounded against her rib cage. Too slow, all this supernatural speed and she was going to be too slow.

Her hair caught on a branch and she felt the strands rip from her scalp. She barely noticed, it didn't matter. Nothing would matter if she didn't get to that trailer.

She broke through a layer of foliage and caught sight of the glow from the trailer in the dark woods.

She ran faster, pushing her abilities to their limits. Caroline came to a abrupt stop and ripped open the trailer door. Relief like nothing she'd ever known hit her.

Josie and Lizzie sat on the floor of the trailer, watching a cartoon on their portable DVD player. They had spilled gummy bears across the ugly orange carpet. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

They stared at her as she jumped into the trailer, pulling the door shut behind her. She kneeled next to them. They didn't have much time now.

"Mom, you're bleeding," Josie said.

"I know, honey," she tried to smile. "Do you remember the picture I showed you?"

They both nodded.

"Good. Find him," she said. "Do you understand? Don't trust anybody, just find him. Alright?"

Lizzie's "yes" and Josie's "okay" chimed at the same time.

Caroline kissed each of their foreheads, trying to memorize her baby girl's faces, who knew when she would see them again... if she would see them again. "I love you, whatever happens, I love you."

They nodded, fear clear in their eyes even if they didn't know what exactly it was they were afraid of.

Caroline reached into her pocket for the small vile filled with the dark powder.

"Wait!" Josie grabbed her teddy bear.

Caroline smiled sadly at the faded old bear clutched to her daughter's chest. "Look out for each other, okay? I'll come find you soon."

They nodded and grabbed each others hand.

Caroline shook the powder into her hand and took one last look at her daughters before she blew the powder onto them. Her vision was filled with a blinding light and her ears rung with the after shock of the spell.

Only a moment after she regained her vision the trailer door crashed in.

A black eyed man stood there panting. "Where are they?"

She smiled as the adrenaline faded and hysteria started to set in. "They're gone," she laughed. "They're gone."

They were gone, it had worked... They were safe.

A snarl was the last thing she heard before everything went black.

* * *

"Stop! Please just stop," she almost whimpered. "Enzo, please."

"You have one chance," his voice was flat, completely emotionless. His olive skin was an unhealthy grey. "Get out of my way." The emptiness in his eyes was so unfamiliar to her, it was like she was looking at a stranger. That wasn't the man that read the Iliad to her, or tried with little success to teach her how to play guitar. That wasn't the man she loved.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She threw her arms out, throwing power felt a lot like making waves in a lake, pushing the magic away from herself like water. The force hit him, throwing him back, into a tree with a force that would have killed a human.

She could see the confusion on his face. "You don't have your magic."

"This isn't my magic," her eyes fell shut as she felt the magic building up in her, like shaking a soda bottle, as soon as she popped that lid it would all rush out.

She thrust her hand forward, his eyes rolled back in his head as he began to convulse. She slowly closed her fingers, struggling for a long moment to close her fist completely, but as soon as she did he went limp.

She collapsed by his side, tears welled up in her eyes at the sight. "I'm sorry," she choked out, shaking her head as she gasped for air through the tears that wouldn't stop.

She had to get him to the boarding house, she had to make sure he couldn't get out, and start a tracking spell to find Damon... But despite the logical part of her screaming to get these things done she couldn't manage to move, she couldn't do anything but sit there on the cold earth and stare at what was left of the love of her life.

* * *

The morning sun shone brightly on the French Quarter. Klaus had decided to take a walk to get away from Bekah's endless rambling about redecorating. As usual the streets were alive with a myriad of music and art. Someone was playing the violin a few streets over, a girl had set up an easel on the sidewalk to paint the morning.

The streets were always filled with delicious smells at this time of day. Bakeries were putting out fresh bread and brewing coffee, there was also the scent of blood coming from somewhere. And... witches, sort of. There was something strange about that particular scent.

He glanced around and finally saw where it was coming from. Two girls no older than Hope ran down the sidewalk across the street. One of them glanced up and met his gaze. She stopped suddenly, reaching out with the hand that wasn't holding tight to a faded teddy and grabbed one of the other girl's braids, effectively halting her.

She pointed at Klaus. The other girl glanced at him then nodded.

They linked hands and walked to the edge of the street, looking both ways before they hurried across the street and straight for him.

Klaus glanced behind him, but no one else was looking at the children.

They walked right up to him and stared for a long moment. "You know it is very rude to stare," he spoke when it appeared theory weren't going to.

One of the girls finally nodded. "Yup, you're the right one."

Klaus frowned. "Do you know me?"

"Nope," one of the girls said happily.

Klaus got down on one knee so he was eye level with them. "Then may I ask what you two are doing speaking to a stranger?"

Honestly, they had managed to find the most dangerous person in the French Quarter to talk to.

"Our mom told us to," the one on the left said.

"Yup, we promised," chimed the one to the right.

"Oh? And who is your mother?" Klaus asked truly baffled as to who would trust their children's lives to him. They _were_ witches, but the New Orleans coven would sooner use their children as blood sacrifices than send them to him.

The two shared a look then crossed their arms in unison. "We aren't supposed to tell that to strangers."

Klaus raised his eyebrows. "You shouldn't talk to strangers either. Well, do you remember the last place you saw her?"

They nodded.

"Where was that?"

"We aren't supposed to tell that either."

Klaus laughed. "How am I supposed to find your parents if you won't tell me anything?"

"You aren't supposed to," the one to the left said.

"She'll find you," the other finished.

Klaus nodded. They had probably been told to find an adult and stay where they were. Just happened to be bad luck they had found him.

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"Last night," the right said.

Klaus frowned, that wasn't good.

"Alright," Klaus said. "We're going to go to the police station, your mother might be there." Even if he didn't particularly like the idea of giving children back to such a careless parent, it was better than leaving them on the street he supposed.

"She's not there," the left said.

"And neither are we," the right stomped her foot.

Stubborn little ones weren't they? And familiar, terribly so, but he couldn't quite place who it was they reminded him of.

"We have to," Klaus insisted.

"She. Will. Find. Us." The right said, punctuating every word.

Klaus sighed. "Okay, then we'll stay here, is that good?"

The left shook her head. "We are supposed to find you then get inside."

That was odd... "You were looking for me?"

"Duh," the one on the right said.

He would have to ask their names, if they would tell him, it was odd the information they chose to keep to themselves. "Who are you?"

"I'm Josie," said the one on the right.

"I'm Lizzie," said the left.

Okay, good, at least he had something to call them now. "Well, Josie, Lizzie, I'm Klaus—"

"We know," Josie interrupted.

Of course they did. "Your mother told you?"

"Yup," Lizzie nodded.

"Why did she tell you to find me?"

"Bad people want to take us," Lizzie said. Worse than him? Was the literal devil chasing them?

"But mom said we could trust you," Josie said. "You're a good one, like mom."

"A good what?" Klaus said, knowing it was in vain to hope they would say they meant a good person.

"Vampire," Lizzie said quietly while Josie mimed fangs.

Bloody hell, who's kids were these?

"Your mother is like me?"

They nodded.

That was just perfect. She must have just been changed, probably sent them away to keep herself from hurting them by accident. But still, why him?

Klaus straightened. "Well, come along."

"Where?" Lizzie asked sceptically.

"Not the police," Josie looked at him with outright suspicion.

"No, not the police," he assured them. "My house."

Josie and Lizzie shared a look then nodded. Well, finally he had said something that met their approval. Klaus turned and started walking, hearing their light footsteps follow him.

This was going to end horribly, he knew it.

* * *

"Want us to get rid of them?" The man on the other end of the call asked even though they both already knew the answer.

"All of them," Elijah hung up and pocketed his phone. It wasn't the kind of conversation to have in their home, especially since Hope's playroom was just down the hall. Another Kingmaker research facility had been found, still operating almost a year after Lucien's death, like the other few they had stumbled upon.

Preoccupied with his thoughts he almost walked past the playroom without noticing. Elijah paused, backtracking and looked into the room to see two children he didn't recognize sat with Hope.

"Niklaus!" he called, turning and found his brother already stood next to him in the hall.

"Yes?" he said with a pleasant smile.

"Who are they?" Elijah pointed at the children seated next to his niece at the brightly colored table to avoid any sarcastic request for clarification.

"Josie and Lizzie." The children looked up at their names, smiling brightly and waved at the them, his brother smiled back at the two, returning the gesture and they went back to their coloring book.

"Where did they come from?" Elijah pressed.

Klaus shrugged. "No idea, found them earlier wandering around the Quarter." Without further explanation he turned and headed back towards his office.

"Why wouldn't you let the police handle this?" Elijah continued as he followed his brother into the cluttered room.

"They refused," he said simply, falling into the chair at his desk with another shrug.

"The police?"

"Lizzie and Josie."

Because it was only reasonable to let the children make that decision. "Exactly how long do you plan on keeping them here?"

"Oh, don't get worked up, they're only staying until I can locate their parents."

Why was that not reassuring? "And when will you be getting around to that?"

"When they decide to tell me something," he said, though he didn't appear in any rush to question them further.

Elijah sighed at his brother's cavalier response. "They are not stray animals, you can't just—"

"If you're so concerned ask them yourself!" he snapped.

They stared at each other for a long moment, each waiting for the other to relent. "Alright," he said, he turned and left the room, hearing his brother huff in irritation before he stood and followed him.

Elijah stopped in the doorway. "Lizzie, Josie," he said, and when they both looked up at him he continued, "Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

"Okay," one of them agreed immediately.

The other was less certain. "About what?"

"Your family. Your home, you'd like to go home, wouldn't you?" he moved forward until he stood on the other side of the table from them.

The girls looked at each other for awhile, no words were spoken but it was clear they were making some sort of decision, then they turned back to him and nodded.

"Can you tell me anything about your parents? How they look? Their names maybe?" They were old enough to know their parents actual names, weren't they? Hope was the only child he had been around in centuries and being an especially intelligent child that sometimes threw off his estimations.

They looked thoughtful for a moment, one of their noses scrunched in thought. But in the end they both shook their heads.

"I need to know if I'm to get you home," Elijah explained, though it was a bit curious that they wouldn't give any real information, even the simplest of sorts.

"We can't tell you," one of them insisted, she was Josie wasn't she?

"I'm only trying to help," he promised.

"We _can't_ ," she insisted, frustration making the last word a shriek. "We can't remember!"

"You can't remember?" Suppressed memories weren't like that... not instant. Magic was though, and if someone had taken their memories there must have been a reason.

"No, just..." she held up a bear Elijah hadn't noticed she held.

Elijah glanced over his shoulder at his brother who seemed to have comes to the same conclusion as he had. Klaus smiled convincingly as he clapped his hands together. "Well, girls, how would you like to meet Freya?"

"Is she nice?" Lizzie—he thought that one was Lizzie, he would have to ask his brother— asked.

"Very much so," he told them and that seemed to be enough as they both stood and walked over to him.

"Is she like you?" Josie asked.

"She is my sister, but she's more like you," Klaus hesitated for the briefest moment, "a witch."

Lizzie smiled brightly. "I'm good at being a witch! I know, because..." she trailed off, her smile faded. "Someone told me," she finished quietly.

Klaus shot him a concerned look. Freya would know how to fix it, she had to.

* * *

"I can't fix it," Freya said, setting the old grimoire on the table and sent up a puff of dust. "It's powerful magic, I have no idea how to even begin undoing it."

"There must be a way," Elijah said.

"Of course there's a way," Klaus said. There was always a way. "You're a witch, figure it out."

"This isn't a simple curse," Freya hissed low enough that the kids playing on the other side of her attic work shop wouldn't hear.

"Then you'll have to be smart, sister," he growled back at her.

"I'm a witch!" she whisper yelled. "Not a miracle worker."

"I suggest you—" he looked down at the child tugging at his coat. "Yes, Josie?"

She held up a piece of paper, flowers scrawled across it in bright yellow crayon. "I made this for you."

Klaus smiled as he took the drawing. "Thank you, sweetheart, it's lovely."

She smiled brightly before she returned to Hope and her sister. He had to find their parents, he had to get them back where they belonged before... "Fix it," he demanded before he walked away from his siblings to tell the kids it was time to go back to the house.

* * *

 **Twelve years later**

The car flew down the dark street on the outskirt of town, the windows rolled down, her hair whipped and tangled around her face as the wind roared in her ears. Laughter spilled from her lips as she watched the needle on the speedometer steadily rise.

She loved moments like these, when she didn't have to think or worry about anything. For just a moment, she could forget everything.

The moment was shattered as she caught sight of blue and red lights in the rearview mirror. "Shit!"

She had been going at least forty over the limit, and, well, the car was stolen. She considered her options as the car gained on her, sirens blaring.

Ah, well, time to face the music.

She spun the wheel, laughing as the car spun before it screeched to a halt.

 _Step out of your vehicle with your hands up_ , she mouthed to herself right before the officer shouted the words.

She slid out of the car, and turned to look at the policemen over the top of the car. "Come on, officers," Hope smiled slowly. "I was only having some fun."

* * *

Soundtrack:

Scenes one & two:

We Must Be Killers — Mikky Ekko

Scene six:

No Good — Kaleo

A\N: I hope you guys liked this start! Thank you for reading, and as always reviews are appreciated! The quote is Gayle Forman


	2. Ghost Lights

A\N: I've gotten such a great response to this story! Thank you guys for the reviews, follows, and favorites!

•

 **"There is a place between saying goodnight and good morning,**

 **Where I always hope we will meet."**

* * *

It was a nice morning, warm and sunny, Hope would have enjoyed it a lot more if her father wasn't raging about the night before. "You aren't leaving this house for the next month!"

"Now that just seems like overkill," she said, grabbing one of the apples from the tray on the table.

"You stole a car," he reminded her, as if she could forget with him yelling about it.

"They left a seventies special edition _twister mustang_ out on the street," she bit into the apple, finishing in a mumble, "That's begging to have your car stolen."

"Hope, you know better," her mother cut in, great now she was getting a lecture from both sides of the breakfast table. "And you were speeding. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Probably significantly more so for someone without supernatural healing," Hope said, fully aware of how it would irritate her parents. She couldn't help it sometimes, it was just too easy to push their buttons.

" _Hope_ ," her father said, his tone ended the discussion. "One month."

She sullenly accepted the punishment, glaring down at crescents her fingernails cut into the apples smooth skin. "Nik!" her aunt's cheery voice rang from the balcony above. "Come up here!"

With a final irritated exhale her father stood and stalked up the wrought iron stairs, it was a wonder that staircase had survived all these years. Hope couldn't help but think that despite the month of boredom before her it had been worth it. She bit into the apple to hide her smirk.

* * *

Klaus walked into the parlor his little sister had taken over for party preparations. "I swear, Rebekah, if this is another..." he trailed off as he saw what she had wanted to show him.

"How do I look?" Lizzie asked, smoothing down the skirt of her peach colored gown. The seamstress stood with his sister, admiring her own work.

"Stunning," he told her. It was true, he tried to keep his smile in place as he spoke, she looked beautiful.

She gave him a knowing look, "You're worrying about something, aren't you?" she set her hands on her hips. "That's your worrying face."

"I don't have a worrying face," he said as Lizzie raised her brows in disbelief, sometimes she was too intuitive for her own good.

Ignoring his protest, she insisted, "What is it?"

"It's very grown up," he explained cautiously, "I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

She shook her head with a little laugh. "You always fret over such silly things, daddy," she hopped off the dais she had been standing on, planting a kiss on her father's cheek before she began to twirl aimlessly around the room.

They seemed silly concerns to her, but he looked at her and still saw his little girl, he did not appreciate the way men had begun to look at his little girl. And, while he was worried about Josie and Hope, it was Lizzie that concerned him the most. Always putting others before herself, the wrong person could take advantage of that kind of goodness.

"We need to get started on other dress," Masha announced in her thick Slavic tone. Klaus hadn't been sure about the woman at first, it had, of course, been Lizzie who gave her a chance.

They had been in Moscow, Hope, the twins, Rebekah, and him, when Lizzie gasped in delight and took off in a sprint. Even though he was much faster than her she was smaller and weaved through the crowd with ease, when he finally caught up with her on one of the more rundown streets he had been too relieved to notice what had caught her attention. After his "that was dangerous never do it again" speech she had pointed to the cracked front window of a dingy clothing shop.

He had tried to persuade her to look somewhere else, in one of the dress shops in the nicer part of the city, but the nine year old Lizzie had insisted. An old bell rang over the door when they entered and a few moments later a woman in her early twenties with icy grey eyes had appeared from the backroom.

Lizzie had walked up to a faded and patched jacket with complete awe, and before he could understand her fascination she had pressed both hands to the piece of clothing and they had begun to glow, pulling magic straight out of the material itself.

"Stop that, _ребенок_!" the woman snapped, marching forward to pry the jacket out of Lizzie's hands.

Her irritation hadn't fazed the child, she had thrown her arms around one of her legs. "You're magic! Make my dress magic too! _Please_?"

"Shush," she hissed at Lizzie, before Klaus could 'explain' that Lizzie could do and say as she pleased his daughter had wheeled around.

"I want her to make my dress, daddy!" she must have seen his hesitation because she threw out her argument before he could tell her no. "She's good! Her magic helps."

Klaus looked over the old clothes scattered around the shop again, "Protection spells?" he guessed.

She set the jacket on the counter, smoothing out the crinkled material. "You come here, all you see is pretty buildings and expensive things, you don't see the violence we live in. Many people suffer, if I can help," she pressed her hands to the jacket and for a moment the threadbare fabric shimmered brightly before it faded back to normal. "Why would I not?"

"I want her to make my dress, daddy," Lizzie said, jumping up and down in excitement.

"We're leaving tonight, sweetheart, I hardly think that's enough time to make a dress..." and there was certainly nothing suitable for his daughter to wear already made.

Tears had welled up in her eyes, and Klaus had caved. "Okay then," he turned to the grey eyed woman. "My daughter seems to have her heart set on you."

"Spoiled," she had commented as she folded the jacket and set it back on its shelf.

He grit his teeth, he couldn't kill her in front of the children, he had reminded himself. "And I would be willing to pay a good deal if you could accompany us back to the States and make something presentable for her."

She looked amused as she began to organize one of the tables covered in piles of odd pieces of clothing. "You want me to go to America to make little girl dress?" she shook her head with a huff of exasperated amusement. She turned to him, considering him for a long moment before she shrugged. "When do we leave?"

Over the years his initial dislike towards Masha had faded and he had come to, not enjoy exactly, but appreciate her presence.

His sister's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Where is Josie?"

Lizzie closed her eyes, poking at the psychic link they shared. "Sleeping."

Klaus didn't even have to look at Rebekah to know her eye was twitching. "Tell her to get in here, or I swear she is wearing something off the rack."

Lizzie snorted. "We all know that's not true," she said before she turned and skipped out the door, calling over her shoulder. "I'll go wake her up."

Klaus's smile slipped as soon as she was gone. Things would be different soon, and he wasn't ready for the change. After twelve years Freya had finally found a way around the spell blocking their memories, and that night after their eighteenth birthday party they would finally remember who their birth parents were.

"It's not just Lizzie's wooers that have you worried," Rebekah voiced her unwanted observation as usual.

"I haven't the slightest what your talking about," Klaus left before she could prod any further.

* * *

Lizzie twirled down the hall towards her sister's room, watching the skirt of her dress swish around her. Masha really was talented, she had never made a dress Lizzie didn't love absolutely. Her smile twisted into a frown as she prodded at the link and found she could feel nothing from her sister, it was radio silence.

She hated it when that happened. It meant she was talking to _him_. Whoever he actually was. It worried her sometimes, so much so she even considered breaking her promise...

Her phone rang and her smile came back brighter than before when she saw the name on the screen. "Hey, Kol."

"Hey, Liz," he said, the voices that buzzed in the background quieted abruptly. "Is Josie there with you?"

"No, she's sleeping still," she said, pausing for a moment before she asked happily, "Are you calling to tell us you're almost here?"

He sighed heavily, and whatever meager hopes she had had were dashed, "You know how I feel about that city."

"I know..." she sighed herself, "I just thought, since it is our eighteenth birthday, and that's like a big deal, and you missed our last birthday too..." For a moment she considered if what she was about to say would work, then she added, "and you made it for Hope's eighteenth."

There was a beat of silence. "You did not just play that card," her uncle said incredulously. "You know damn well I don't think of you and Hope any differently," he said genuinely before he added in a mutter, "You're all annoying."

"I just..." Lizzie's voice shook. "I really wanted you to come."

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice less sure as he heard her sniffle.

"I know, it's just... I miss you," she finished quietly, miserably.

She held her breath, waiting for his reply, "Damn it," she heard him huff in defeat before he said, "I'll be there."

She shrieked in joy. "Great! Masha has your suit ready. I'll see you in a few hours!"

"Oh, you manipulative little brat—" she hung up on him, continuing happily down the hall. Kol was easier than most of her family to guilt trip, and she so was not above taking advantage of that. After all, if he came home more often she wouldn't have to trick him into it.

* * *

The warm, floaty feeling told Josie she was dreaming, and that meant... She smiled as his fingertips ghosted across her face. "Wake up, _mon chéri_."

She opened her eyes with a soft smile, he stood over her, one knee on the edge of the bed. "But if I wake up you'll go away."

He laughed, threading his fingers through his dark hair. "That is an excellent point."

She sat up in the unfamiliar canopy bed, looking around the large, mostly empty room. It was pretty in its simplicity, with wood flooring and white washed walls. The sound of water drew her attention to the doors to her left, they opened onto white sand, blue water glittered further down the beach. It reminded her of Athens. "Where is this?"

"Navarino," the word rolled off his tongue beautifully. "Have you never been?"

"I've been to Athens," she said, slipping off the other side of the bed and ambled to the door. She noticed immediately how secluded the place actually was, not a resort as far as she could see either way down the beach.

"Athens, beautiful city," he came to stand next to her, leaning against the doorframe beside her. "Though often crowded and I use this place mostly when I want to escape from other people."

"I see, so you're showing me this so I'll know where you'll be and won't worry when you disappear?" she arched a brow at him.

He raised his own challengingly. "I wanted to show you because I get tired of people quite frequently, and I wanted you to know where we would be going when that happens."

She looked out at the ocean so he wouldn't see the pleased smile she couldn't quite help.

 _You're mad at him!_ she reminded herself. Scoffing at him, she crossed her arms and forced herself to stop smiling. "Funny you saying that, considering," she bit out.

"You're angry with me."

No shit!

"Two months," she growled at him, turning away from the beach to glare at him.

He sighed, lifting his hands in a placating gesture, that only succeeded in pissing her off more. Two months of no contact and he thought he could show up in her subconscious and _placate her_?

She jabbed his chest. "Don't tell me you have a good reason because what on earth could keep you so damn busy when you're dead?!"

"Trying to be less dead," he shot back casually.

Less dead... She felt hope and fear rise in her chest, the immensity of emotions over what he had said threatened to crush her heart. "You... you found a way?"

He grinned slowly, and all of her anger and fear drain away. It hadn't seemed real until then, the promises and discussions about what they would do once he was back among the living. But it was real, it was going to happen. She gave a breathy laugh, her hands cupped his face and his set on her waist.

It was a perfect moment, if he would just lean in and—

He stepped back from her abruptly, her hands fell back to her side as his left her waist.

Damn it! That could have been perfect, why did he refuse to make a move?

The room around them began to change, the colors dulled, the scene around them started to fade. "I believe our times up."

She ignored the deterioration of the dream. "Why won't you kiss me?"

He smiled at the question but didn't reply. The moment Josie felt herself being tugged back to reality he ducked forward, kissing her sweetly on the cheek.

Josie blinked at the sunlight coming from the window, Lizzie stood there, thing the curtains back so the entire room was bathed in natural light. "Get up, lazy pants. It's a beautiful morning."

Normally her sister's cheeriness so early in the morning would have annoyed her, but she only smiled. "It is, isn't it?"

"Masha needs to finish your dress, so," Lizzie pointed to her double French doors that stood open, "Scoot."

Josie shook her head, standing from her bed and headed for the hall. But her sister's voice made her paused, "You're seeing him again?"

She didn't turn, offering over her shoulder, "It's nothing to worry about." before she walked away.

* * *

Bonnie hurried down the hall of the Armory basement, the latest attempt to break Enzo's curse clutched in her hand. It would work this time, even though she told herself that every time, the tiny bit of hope she still held onto was the only thing that kept her from giving up completely.

Not that it hasn't felt pretty hopeless at times, twelve years and twenty-nine failed cures weren't exactly motivating. And then, even if she broke his curse, she would have to get him to turn his humanity back on.

She paused outside the cell door, looking through the thick, steel mesh reinforced, glass. He seemed calm as he laid on the hospital bed, some days he paced and snarled like a caged animal.

She pressed her hand to the scanner, waiting for it to blink green in recognition and the door to slide open. Enzo sat up immediately, sitting at the edge of the bed. "Hey, doc, what are you shooting me up with today?"

She held up the vial, "Drink."

He took it without argument, after so long he had stopped fighting her attempts at fixing his mind, maybe it was just that after so many failures he didn't see any harm in humoring her.

Nothing happened at first and Bonnie began to wonder what she had done wrong. Then the tremors started in his hands, he held up one and watched it shake with an annoyed look.

His eyes turned black, the veins under his eyes faded in and out of sight. Ink colored liquid dripped from his eyes, then his ears and nose. The tremors turned to full on convulsions, he fell from the bed onto the floor, his blood splattered across the grey floor as he shook.

Bonnie winced, stepping away from him. She hated to see him hurt, but it was worth it if it made him himself again.

Only a moment later the convulsions stopped and he went limp.

She stepped forward, watching his blood splattered face carefully. "Enzo?"

His eyes opened, and he laughed. The sound sent her heart plummeting. It hadn't worked, just like every time before.

She turned and left the cell, locking the door behind her and ignored his taunts as she left.

Caroline waited in the main room, map already laid out across the table, she looked up at her, sympathy in her eyes. "We can do this later," she offered but Bonnie could see that her friend was anxious, and hopeful, to get it done.

Ric walked down the stairs, amber talisman in hand. "You ready?"

She nodded, taking the talisman from him, and waited as Ric cut into his wrist, reopening the wound yet again, and let his blood drip onto the map. Closing her hand around the amber she grit her teeth as she channeled her ancestral line.

The rush of magic was always overwhelming no matter how many times she did it. Droplets of blood rolled across the map in different directions, ending up in five locations.

She dropped the talisman, the outline of the triangle shaped amber marked her palm. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"It's not your fault," Caroline said, and Bonnie didn't miss the undertone of self blame in her friend's voice.

Ric wrapped a new bandage around his wrist. "We'll try again next week." Almost a decade before, after things had quieted down, and the immediate threat seemed to have disappeared they had started trying to find the twins. They had been doing locator spells everyday in the beginning, until the first time Ric passed out from blood loss and they decided it could only happen once a week.

She watched him disappear back up the stairs and into his office. It couldn't be easy not knowing, at least she knew Enzo was safe, Caroline and Ric didn't even know what continent their kids were on.

"Thanks, Bon," Caroline said quietly, cleaning the blood off the laminated map they had gotten for the spells after they had ruined the first three.

"We'll find them," she told her adamantly.

Care tried for a smile that didn't quite work out. "Of course we will."

Bonnie was sure they were alive, but if she tried to sense anything pass that it all got fuzzy. That could be a good thing, if someone was going out of their way to protect them, or a very bad thing, if they were being hidden as weapons to be used. Hopefully they would find them soon, Care and Ric had already missed so much of their lives.

Bonnie would have to figure out how to get around whatever magical block had been put on Lizzie and Josie, but it seemed a rather daunting task considering she had read through every spell book in the Armory and found nothing that could help her find them.

Sending them away had seemed the best choice at the time, but after twelve years they all began to wonder if there hadn't been another way.

* * *

Klaus sat in his office, flipping through the photo album Rebekah had insisted they start keeping when Hope turned four. Lizzie and Josie didn't start appearing in the photos until almost half way through the album. Riding bikes, painting, staring at their birthday cake in shock...

They had found out eventually that their birthday was one of the things that had been blocked out, they remembered their age but not the date itself, so they had decided to celebrate it on the day the twins had found him. Because not celebrating at all was completely unacceptable.

Their seventh birthday had been shock after shock for them, he remembered the two getting into a heated argument about what flavor the cake should be before Klaus told them they could simply get two cakes, Lizzie had stared at him in shock while Josie had smiled in a way that even he had to admit was nothing less than devious.

The thought of his daughters remembering a family they had had before them was utterly terrifying. The thought of them leaving to find their biological family was terrible, the thought of them leaving permanently was unbearable.

"This won't change anything," Klaus looked up at the sound of his brother's voice, his brother who had decided to walk in uninvited. "Tomorrow we will still be a family, regardless of what they remember."

"I'm not in the mood for one of your inspirational speeches," he shut the album, standing from his desk to set it back on the shelf. Could none of his siblings mind their own damn business?

Of course they would still be a family, and if Lizzie and Josie's birth parents decided they wanted to edge them out of their lives, well, he'd just have to kill them.

* * *

"There," Josie said as she finished securing the gold circlet on her sister's head. "Now it won't fall off."

"I'm worried about you," she said softly, concern bright in her blue eyes.

Before she could respond the door opened and Masha stepped in, her ash blonde hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, wearing a simple grey dress that was just barely formal enough for the occasion. "It's time."

Josie nodded, linking her arm with Lizzie and walked out to the top of the large staircase that led into the ballroom. She looked to her sister, silently asking if she was ready, at her nod they started down the stairs.

A hush fell over the crowd, she couldn't help but like that part, that their presence could silence an entire room full of people— powerful people.

They were such perfect opposites, her sister with her honey gold curls spilling over her shoulders and down her back, her peach pink A-line dress and the warm smile that almost never left her face. Josie wasn't warm, she was cold and harsh, and it showed. The black dressed hugged her and flared out at the hips, the Queen Anne neckline open enough to show the obsidian inlaid choker she wore. Her, admittedly unnatural, platinum blonde hair was pulled back in a thick French braid. A circlet rested on her head as well, silver instead of gold.

Yes, they were opposites, but they went together beautifully, like the sun and the moon.

She wasn't surprised to see that Kol waited with their father at the end of the staircase, it figured Lizzie had convinced him to come.

The band picked up as they stepped onto the ballroom floor. The first dance was only the four of them moving with easy elegance across the floor. When she was younger it had been intimidating to have the most elite members of their society scrutinize her every move, but as she got older, and grace had become a second nature instead of a strict practice, she had forgotten the insecurities. Because, even surrounded by the most powerful and wealthy, she was above them all.

The song ended and Josie gave a practiced curtsy, her father bowed in kind.

The floor filled quickly with the guests and the next four hours were a flurry of shallow conversations and business opportunities that she knew she should pay attention to. She talked with people she cared nothing for, the police commissioner saying how wonderful their help with keeping the supernatural population in line had been, the mayor asking her what her thoughts on an organization of some kind or another, endless other conversations that would be forgotten by morning.

When she finally had a moment to breathe she slipped into one of the empty halls of the house they used solely for events such as these. Once she stepped out of sight a flood of information hit her, she stumbled at the force of it, falling against one of the pillars that lined the hall.

 _It's time_ , his voice echoed in her head.

* * *

Lizzie found her uncle in one of the halls, sitting against the wall, his tie had been thrown on one of the tables next to a vase full of tulips.

She leaned against the wall across from him. "You're missing all the fun," she joked dryly. As much as she loved dressing up and the dancing these parties always made her stressed, surrounded by people just waiting to see her stumble. Not to mention trying to remember all the businesses daddy owned or funded or held shares in, Josie was much better at that sort of talk.

"What a shame, it's always fun to watch my brother's remind everyone of their superiority," he tipped his head back, downing the rest of the liquor he'd had in his glass.

"Careful, Kol," she said seriously, "Someone might think you're bitter."

A grin broke through his brooding look as he laughed. She laughed with him.

The pleasant sound was cut short, she doubled over, unable to get any air into her lungs as pain spiked through her head. She felt hands on her shoulders, steadying her, and a voice speaking, but it was all very far away, the pain blocked out everything else. Black spots buzzed in her vision, and everything she heard was distorted, like she was underwater.

Then suddenly it all stopped, and Lizzie felt horribly empty.

"Hey, Liz, what's wrong? _Liz_."

She blinked, focusing on Kol's worried eyes. "It's... It's not there," she breathed.

"What do you mean? Liz, tell me what's wrong," he demanded.

"The link," she explained faintly. "It's gone."

* * *

Josie kneeled in the circle drawn in the earth, the bones set out in front of her all that remained of his body. The full moon reflected off the murky water of the bayou behind her, she could feel the wolves life forces even as they stayed at a distance, wary of the magic they must have felt since she started the ritual. It didn't matter, she could channel them without contact while they were in their animal forms.

The needed information came to her as she worked, pouring the blood over the bones while she spoke in a language that she didn't understand. Fire burst to life on the ring around her.

The whimpers of the wolves as she tugged at their life forces might have pricked at her conscience, but the spell had already consumed her entirely. Power rushed through her and the words became harder to speak, a trail of blood streaked down her neck from her ear. If she had been any other kind of witch the process would have already taken her life.

Her voice almost broke as the pain in her chest worsened, but as she watched flesh began to blossom across the bones, it spread and knit itself together. It was hard to believe she could actually succeed, that she could bring him back, but the muscle formed, then skin, and when the slow process of his body healing itself was finished it was him laying there.

With a final burst of energy she completed the ritual. Once the magic wasn't rushing through her she collapsed to the cold earth, she wondered if it had worked before darkness swallowed her thoughts.

* * *

Lucien opened his eyes, air rushed into his lungs for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he had forgotten what it felt like to breathe. He stood up, laughing in utter joy. He was _alive_.

He looked around him, noticing mens clothes set in a neat pile. Lucien glanced at the witch he had used to complete the spell, she must have left them out for him.

It would be easier to kill her and ensure nobody found out about his newly acquired life. But, she was extremely powerful, and it was never a bad idea to have a powerful witch on his side. And, well, she was a gorgeous little thing, he had to admit. As he dressed he assessed his options, if the risk outweighed her usefulness.

Finally he decided to keep up the charade, after all, if he had manipulated her into reviving him surely he could convince her to keep that pretty mouth of hers shut.

He picked her up off the ground, noticing the blood staining her pretty porcelain skin, he dipped his head to run his tongue along the thin trail. A growl spilled from his throat, how good blood tasted was another thing that had faded in his memory and he was tempted to take a bite, but he doubted she would appreciate waking up with teeth marks decorating her smooth skin, and after all the time he had spent to convince her that he wasn't trying to use her he wasn't going to risk ruining it all to satisfy an impulse.

"You're a very lucky witch," he told the unconscious girl. "I think we're going to have fun, you and I."

* * *

Soundtrack:

Scene seven:

Kings and Queens and Vagabonds — Ellem

Scenes nine & ten:

Poison in the Water — Von Grey

A\N: I will be updating this hopefully at least once a week. There's no klaroline interaction in this chapter, it's kind of a slow burn so bear with me. Anyway I hope you liked this chapter, thank you for reading, and, of course, I always love reviews. The quote is J. Iron Word


	3. Memories Of Life Past

•

 **"God has given you one face,**

 **And you make yourself another."**

* * *

Klaus sat across from his daughter at the dining room table as she explained. "How long has this been going on?" he asked as calmly as he could manage. "Who is he?"

"I don't know who he is! She wouldn't tell me," Lizzie said, on the verge of tears. She hadn't changed out of her dress, but her tiara had been taken off, the tears already shed had streaked her makeup down her face and if Klaus hadn't been so worried about where Josie was he would have had a talk with Rebekah about how much of that stuff she was wearing. "But it started when we were sixteen."

"Sixteen?" he shouted, guilt immediately taking hold as Lizzie's lower lip began to quiver. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked, his voice once again calm.

"Because I promised I wouldn't," she explained tearfully.

"Why would you—" he stopped, taking a deep breath before he continued. "Why don't we start from the beginning?" They would get nowhere if she started sobbing again.

She nodded, sighting up straighter. "It started like a normal dream, then he showed up. I thought it was just a part of the dream at first, but then I felt how powerful he was and I realized he was real."

"Powerful?" Klaus cut in with a frown, leaning forward. "Was he a witch?" If this was the ancestors the situation could go from bad to catastrophic.

"No, it wasn't that, he was... something else," Lizzie said, and there was something sinister about the words.

"Go on," he kept his voice steady despite the panic that clawed at him.

"I tried to ask who he was, he looked at me and said 'this is a private conversation' and then he—" her brow pinched in confusion, "he _forced_ me out."

"Forced you out?"

She nodded, her eyes distant. "It was like he shut down our link. I couldn't feel anything, when I woke up the next morning she was already awake, acting as if nothing had happened. I wanted to tell you," she focused on him again, "I really did, but she begged me not to, insisted he hadn't hurt her. I didn't know what to do, so, I agreed."

He closed his eyes for a moment, getting control of his emotions. A part of him wanted to yell, to demand what on earth she had been thinking, and maybe he would have if it had been one of his other children, Josie would have yelled back, and Hope would have simply listened with indifference, occasionally throwing out a sarcastic comment.

But his anger was doused by Lizzie's remorsefulness and his ever growing concern for Josie's safety. He would start with the coven, he decided, they always had a hand in any plot made against his family. Then the wolves, his daughter had a few close friends in the pack. Marcel could be of some use—

"Please, don't be angry with me," her whispered plea stopped his thoughts, his eyes opened to see her large eyes brimming with tears.

His features softened as he stood to gather her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I'm not angry, sweetheart, I'm just worried." Terrified, actually, but it would do no good to tell her that.

"Stay with Kol," he told her, waiting to walk away until she nodded her agreement. "I'll be back soon," hopefully with Josie, and the heart of whoever had dared to go after her.

* * *

Josie woke slowly in a bed that she was not her own. Her thoughts were fuzzy, and she wondered where she was for an instant, then the memories from the night before came crashing back.

She sat up quickly, the panic that seeing an empty room had caused her eased when she heard the shower running. She laid back down, thinking over all that had happened. There was still that small bit of fear that he had only needed her for the spell, and now that it had been done he would be done with her. It wasn't long before the bathroom door opened and Lucien walked out, buttoning up his white shirt.

His gaze fell on her, he smiled, and that was all it took to silence her doubts. "Good morning, my darling saviour."

She sat up, smiling shyly. It was strange to know he was truly there, to know being awake didn't mean he was out of her reach. "Good morning."

"Things are different now," Josie felt her heart plummet, but he continued. "It's like I'm in a completely different city."

Oh, she thought with relief, he meant things had changed since his death. "They tore down the Sheraton," she nodded seriously. "A true travesty."

He shook his head at her but his smile didn't fade in the slightest. "Now you're just making fun of me."

"Maybe," her mouth curved into a teasing smirk. "Just a little."

"I suppose bringing me back from the dead gives you a free pass?" he walked past her to grab something off the dresser. She gave him a questioning look as he came back holding a small box. "Open it," he prompted.

She took the burgundy box tentatively, a black ribbon was tied neatly around it, and after a brief hesitation she undid the bow and opened the lid. Inside laid an array of moonstones and obsidian on a thin silver chain. Josie smiled softly at the gift, appreciating the deviation from the "girls love diamonds" stereotype.

Her fingertips ghosted over the necklace, but when her finger brushed one of the moonstones she inhaled sharply, almost dropping the box in surprise at the amount of magic she had felt in the small gem. "It's magic?"

Lucien smiled, motioning for her to stand. She slid off the bed, standing in front of the mirror that rested atop the dresser. Josie took in her reflection with displeasure, her skirt had torn down the side, mud spattered across her new dress. Her perfect French braid had lost most of its pins, stray pieces of tangled hair fallen every which way, her silver circlet sat crooked across her forehead. Blood was crusted around her ear.

She was a mess.

He stood behind her, hand held out. "May I?"

She nodded, handing him the box. Her breath caught as his fingers brushed against her neck as he pushed her hair over her shoulder. "It belonged to a queen once, a long time ago. Of course she had no idea the kind of power she wore around her neck," he clasped the necklace, his hands fell to rest on her arms. "I think you'll appreciate it a bit more."

"Thank you," she said softly. As much as she admired the gift her attention was on the man standing inches from her. "It's lovely."

Lucien hummed in agreement, a shiver of pleasure going through her at the sound.

The smooth stones glimmered beautifully in the early morning light that spilled through the window. For awhile she just stood there, basking in the moment, until something occurred to her that spoiled it. She felt guilty for not thinking of it sooner. "Lucien, are you—? Did you—?" she struggled to phrase the question.

"What is it, love?" he said, meeting her gaze in the mirror, eyes full of concern.

"Have you... _fed_ since last night?"

Lucien got the look he always got when she asked a question he would rather not answer.

" _Lucien_ ," she pressed, fixing him with a serious look.

After a moment of silence he admitted reluctantly, "I've yet to get around to it."

She considered that, how hungry he had to be after all that time. She pulled her ruined sleeve up, turning around to face him. Josie held up her wrist in a silent offering, he took her hand gently, her eyes fell shut. She felt his warm breath over her pulse and waited for the sharp sting of fangs sinking into her flesh. His lips brushed against her skin in a soft kiss, her eyes opened slowly as he lowered her hand back to her side, his thumb rubbing comforting circles against the inside of her wrist.

"I'll stop by the hospital," he smiled suddenly. "Why don't we get breakfast? You performed quite the feat last night, you must be famished."

She was, hunger twisted her stomach, but she shook her head, matching his smile. "I've got to get home."

Lucien raised his brows. "Overprotective father?"

Family was one of the few things Josie had avoided talking about with him. He knew she had no mother, and obviously that she and Lizzie were linked, but other than that she had been as vague as possible. "Insanely," she agreed, "So I should go before he blows a gasket."

"Will I be meeting him?" he questioned, obviously joking.

"Absolutely not," she sing-songed.

He put his hand to his chest in mock offence. "I can be quite charming, you know."

"Trust me, my father would not be amused," she moved past him to grab her heels that were set by the bed. They were covered in muck from her midnight trudge through the bayou, she might as well pitch them.

Lucien followed. "Oh, come on, how bad could he be?"

She almost laughed at the question. _How bad could he be?_ that was a big question. Lucien was powerful, any witch worth a damn could tell that immediately, but even the most powerful supernaturals paled in comparison to the Originals.

Almost two years they had known each other, that was long enough for him to know the truth, wasn't it? "You've never told me your last name," she said casually.

"No, I suppose I haven't," he said, waiting for her to continue, obviously confused as to where she was going with the statement.

"How about I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours?"

Lucien seemed amused by her proposal. "Castle. Lucien Castle."

A nervous flutter started in her chest but she managed a smile as she owned up to her side of the deal. "Mikaelson." she saw his amusement fade, an expression she couldn't read flickered across his face. "You can vanish and never contact me again if you want," Josie joked weakly.

Lucien's smile came back as bright as ever. "I don't scare that easy, love."

Josie hoped her relief wasn't too obvious. "Well, I'm glad."

He walked past her, she turned to see him grab a jacket from one of the over stuffed chairs in the large hotel room. She hadn't left him a jacket, she touched the necklace absently, how long had she been out? He pulled it on as he came to stand near her again, he touched her chin, gently tilting back her head so she met his eyes.

"Now this is going to make me sound very suspicious and untrustworthy, but I would be very grateful if you didn't tell anyone about my return."

She bit back her sarcasm, answering seriously, hoping he understood he could count on her, "Of course."

He leaned forward and kissed her. It only lasted a moment, just the lightest press of his lips against hers. He pulled away with a smile. "Can I really not convince you to stay?"

She didn't understand at first, too deliriously happy over their first real kiss to process his words. Then she shook her head slightly. "I have to go."

His hand dropped back to his side and she found herself already missing the contact. "Then I suppose I should get some work done, see how much the company has deteriorated in my absence."

"Company?"

"What?" he said, humor bright in his hazel eyes. "Just because I'm a vampire I can't have a legitimate career?"

She rolled her eyes. "Why do I feel like 'legitimate' isn't a good description for whatever it is this company does?"

"Because you know me too well," he said.

Josie glanced at the door, knowing she should leave but not at all wanting to. "I'll talk to you later," she finally sighed.

"Absolutely," he agreed.

* * *

The cabins hadn't changed much, most of the pack moved into the city years before but the place was still used during the full moon. Klaus could hear the wolves milling around in the small buildings. He knocked on the door of the main cabin, hearing some confused muttering as to who would bother to knock.

After a pause the door opened, Rio stood there in cutoffs and a faded tank top. Her confused look turned to a hesitant smile when she saw him, she pushed her dark hair behind her ear. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Have you seen Josie?" he demanded, not bothering to answer the girl's question or her smile.

"No," she answered after an annoyingly long pause. "Why, is she missing?"

The deck creaked loudly as someone stepped on it. "Who's missing?"

Klaus turned to see the boy he had come to speak with. Eli certainly wasn't his favorite person, but Josie spent most of her days with him, and if Klaus didn't know where she was there was a good chance she was with him. "Do you have any idea as to where Josie could be?"

Thankful he didn't respond with his usual sarcasm. "No. I mean, she might have been around early, but I don't remember her being here," he pushed his fingers through his dark blond hair nervously. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, as long as I can find her," he turned away from the two wolves, intent on searching the woods before he went to Marcel. The witches hadn't seemed to know anything, and despite the power they had regained over the years they were useless to find Josie, Freya had made the twins immune to tracking spells years ago.

He didn't appreciate the footsteps that followed. Not that he didn't appreciate Eli's loyalty to his daughter, it was just the boy's general personality that bothered him.

Klaus turned on him, Eli took half a step back when he saw the murderous look on his face. As much as he tried to conceal it Klaus saw the spark of fear in the boy's eyes. Good, he should be afraid, he was only alive because Josie wished it, and if she weren't around to stop it he would die. They all would— the whole bloody city.

"Might I ask what you think you're doing?" he said with a calmness that was anything but genuine.

To his credit Eli stood his ground. "If Josie's in trouble I want to help," he said determinedly.

"I don't have time for your ridiculous notion of playing hero." The boy wouldn't be of any real help, in fact he would probably get in the way.

"She's my best friend," he growled, gold shimmered in his eyes as his voice rose along with his temper. "I want to protect her as much as you—"

In a flash Klaus's hand was around the boy's neck, cutting off his air and thankfully his voice. "Do not compare your shallow connection to the love I have for my child."

Eli gaped, trying to get oxygen though it was a useless effort. Klaus snarled in disgust as he shoved him away, the young wolf stumbled but managed to keep his feet under him. He didn't have the time to kill him.

Klaus disappeared from the clearing in a blur.

* * *

Josie stopped outside the gate, wondering if anyone would notice her new magic battery, and finally decided to play it safe and undid the necklace, hiding it in one of her shoes. She was barely in the courtyard when Lizzie came flying down the stairs, the link flared back to life as her sister crashed into her. Josie returned her hug, knowing the panic she must have been in.

"Where were you?" she asked, her blue eyes full of concern.

Josie didn't get the chance to answer before her father stormed into the courtyard, murder in his eyes. He paused when he saw her, then he strode forward, crushing her against his chest. "Where have you been?" he demanded, not letting go of her.

Once again she didn't have time to reply, Marcel walked in. "I looked everywhere. She's not—" he stopped when he saw her. "What the hell, kid?"

"Hi to you too," she said over her dad's shoulder.

He finally released her from the hug, taking in her wrecked dress. "What happened?" his voice tight with barely controlled rage. "Who did this?"

"No, dad, nobody hurt me," she assured.

"Then what in hell happened to you?"

She sighed, beginning the lie she had practiced on the walk home. "I just... got a little overwhelmed, you know with the whole remembering thing. I freaked and wanted to talk to Eli so I went over to the cabins—"

His expression shifted, and there was a look in his eyes that almost frightened her. "You went to the pack on a full moon?"

"I thought I could get there before he shifted—"

"You could have been killed!" he roared.

Josie blinked in surprise at his outburst, he rarely yelled at her, and she continued with less sureness. "I made a protection circle," it would be a reasonable explanation if anyone stumbled upon the ritual site.

"A protection circle," he laughed though there was no humor in his voice.

"I'm sorry, okay?" she snapped in a rather unapologetic way. "I just wanted to think, I fell asleep there."

He wasn't convinced. "Who is he?"

Josie's stomach turned at the question. He _knew_ , how could he...? She turned to Lizzie, the guilty look confirmation enough. "I don't—"

"Josie," he said quietly, his piercing gaze set on her. "Don't lie to me."

"It didn't have anything to do with him," she said adamantly.

"Lizzie says the link is gone," he challenged.

"It's back," Lizzie chimed in meekly.

"I've been learning to shut it off," she explained, though she could really only block it out when Lucien helped her.

"I want a name." Could he tell she was lying or was he guessing?

"It had nothing to do with him—" she broke off, letting a bit of embarrassment into her voice as she finished quietly, "he stopped coming to see me."

That made him falter, caught between anger and concern, finally his face softened. "If the spell us causing you this much stress we won't do it."

Disappointment flashed in Lizzie's eyes before she concealed it, she wouldn't speak up about what she wanted, and even if Josie was indifferent she wanted her sister to be happy. "No," Josie said, "I think we should."

Her father looked doubtful but nodded slightly.

She wondered what they would remember, then pushed the thought from her mind, none of the memories would matter anyway.

* * *

Caroline sat on the couch, folding laundry and listening to the radio. She set a sweater nearly on its pile on the coffee table, looking around the living room of her small apartment, the shelves could be dusted, and she should probably sweep. Sundays usually ended up being housekeeping days, it was one of the few days were she didn't work, in the Armory or the café.

She hadn't really needed the second job, the Armory had paid their members well, and now that they were all gone that money was left with Caroline, ric, and Bonnie, but she had needed the distraction. Something— anything— to stay busy, too much time to think was never a good thing.

The phone rang and she smiled as she saw the name on the screen. She answered, balancing the phone between her shoulder and ear as she continued folding clothes. "Hey, Seline."

"Hey, Care," she could hear the smile in Seline's voice. After years of Caroline and Bonnie telling Ric it wasn't a betrayal for him to be happy he had finally started dating again, after a string of failed attempts at finding someone he had met Seline. She was sweet, and surprisingly supportive of his search for Josie and Lizzie. They had tried to hide the supernatural from her for a few months, but, inevitably, she found out, and instead of freaking out had simply rolled with the new version of reality. They had gotten engaged only a few months before, Caroline was glad that Ric was happy, one of them should be. "Would you want to come over for dinner tonight?"

Her mind went to the frozen food in her own kitchen, then to Seline's cooking, it wasn't a difficult choice between the two. "I'd love to."

"Great," she said, "How about... let's say, six?"

"Sounds perfect," she agreed. They talked for a minutes longer about trivial stuff, Caroline's new coworker at the café, what color Seline should paint the kitchen, eventually the call ended and she went back to her work.

A shirt fell from the wicker basket, she picked up the old peplum-style top, a purple stain on one of the yellow ruffles sparked a memory of when Josie had insisted on making her own lunch, getting peanut butter and jelly everywhere. Tears threatened to fall as she thought of that day. Her baby girls were eighteen now, wherever they were Caroline hoped their childhood had been good, even if she wasn't a part of it.

Then she folded the shirt and did the only thing she could, went on with her day.

* * *

Lucien couldn't believe his luck, the girl was a bloody Mikaelson. At first there was nothing but darkness after his death, then one day he had felt it, another presence, and before long found himself in a witch's dream. She had a strong connection to the dead, though she obviously had no idea. Another witch had been there, but her magic was much lighter than the other's, he had shut her out, a fairly easy task if a vampire was strong enough.

Josie had been guarded in the beginning, but the more she allowed him to enter her mind the more aware he had become, even able to contact the Ancestors, though their connection to the living had been shattered. Her trust had been a difficult thing to obtain, but two years was nothing compared to the millennia he had spent plotting his revenge.

She would be more useful than he had expected. Family was the most important thing to Klaus, that's why it was the first thing he would take from him. Starting with Josie, it might take a while but he would turn her against them, then perhaps she could convince her sister to join. But Hope, well, she would just have to die, betrayal was in the Mikaelson blood, he couldn't risk that.

Of course since Josie was so close to her older sister he would need her to trust him. He needed her to love him more than the others, completely, blindly, obsessively; he needed her to love him the way he had loved Aurora.

He dialed a number, the phone was almost ten models newer than the one he had owned before dying but he didn't see much difference. It rang only twice before a familiar voice answered, "Hello?"

"Hello, Aadesh."

Silence. "Lucien?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten your sire already." Aadesh had been one of his favorite creations, loyal and ambitious. Not to mention all the work he had done for Kingmaker, whenever Lucien didn't have time for something he could trust Aadesh to get it done.

"How?" he didn't sound surprise, if anyone could cheat death it would Lucien.

"Witches can be quite useful when they aren't being a pain in the ass," he said, offering no further explanation. Josie was a card he was playing close to his chest. "How many labs are still operating?"

He answered without pause, "Twenty-three."

It wasn't shocking how many they had lost but it still pissed him off. "Send me progress reports." Lucien disconnected the call, knowing Aadesh would do as he asked.

* * *

Josie sat with Lizzie on the stairs, the spell set up on the floor in front of them. She reached over and took her sister's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Freya walked into the room, followed by their father and Kol. "You guys ready?"

Lizzie took a steadying breath. "Let's do this."

Freya nodded solemnly, as unexcited as their father about restoring the memories. "Lay in the circles."

Two ovals of salt were on the floor, ringed with lotuses and unlit candles, Josie and Lizzie each laid down in one of them. The ingredients of the spell filled her nose with a sickly sweet scent, she could almost taste it. Her aunt began the spell, the candles flickered to life, and Josie's stomach twisted with dread. She wasn't sure if it was intuition or nerves, and before she could figure it out memories filled her mind.

Everything was bathed in a buttery gold light, six years of moments faded in and out, blending together into a collage of faces and names long forgotten. A man reading them a bedtime story about dragons and princesses; a woman with long blonde hair and a stunning smile; someone they had once called their aunt teaching them to levitate feathers; a pretty white house in a small town...

Josie's eyes opened as she quickly sat up. "Ric," she gasped.

"Rick?" Freya said, crouching next to her and set a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Like Richard?"

She shook her head, unable to speak as she pulled air into her hungry lungs. Lizzie opened her eyes but stayed on her back, staring at the dark ceiling. "Beautiful," she murmured, sounding just as breathless. "She was beautiful."

Her father kneeled next to Lizzie. "Do you remember a name?"

She nodded slowly without looking at him. "Caroline, our mother's name was Caroline."

A dark look shadowed his eyes. "You're sure?"

"What is it?" Josie managed to speak, the expression on her father's face made her uneasy. Something was wrong.

He left in a blur, returning seconds later with a sketch in hand. He gave it to Lizzie. "Is this who you saw?"

She nodded and Josie took the piece of paper, the blonde. "Why do you have this?"

"Ric as in Alaric?" he asked instead of answering.

She nodded. "You know who they are." It wasn't a question, she could see it in his eyes. The horrible dread returned, the fear that they had started something they couldn't stop.

"Yes, I believe I do," he turned and walked from the room, looking like he had seen a ghost. Who knew, maybe he had.

* * *

Klaus sat in his office, turning the cell phone carefully in his hand, as if the thin, black device might explode. It was still in there, her number, he had never had the heart to delete it, and though it might have changed over the years he always added it to his contacts when he got a new phone.

Lizzie had seemed so happy to remember her—his Caroline who had never really been his at all. What was he supposed to tell her now? _Sorry, you can't meet your real parents because your father hates me and I was obsessed with your mother_?

It wouldn't be fair, to allow them to remember then not allow them to meet their blood. Cruel, even.

His thumb hovered over the call symbol on the screen. The strange mix of dread and anticipation in his chest made him want to forget the whole thing, pretend it had never happened. He touched the screen, calling the woman he had loved and now wished he didn't have to see again.

* * *

Caroline laughed as Seline recounted her and Ric's ill-fated trip to Home Depot. They sat at the kitchen island, eating the lasagna Seline had made, it was, as any meal she made, perfect.

"How late is he working tonight?"

"Who knows," she shrugged, not at all bothered her fiancé's ridiculous work schedule. She held up her fork, pointing at nothing in particular. "Though he did say something about a totem and if I would still love him if he lost some fingers, so it might be a late night."

Caroline shook her head at that, no matter how old he got Ric's contempt for his own mortality would never fade. Her phone began to ring, Caroline glanced at the unknown number on her screen, "Do you mind?"

"Go ahead," Seline said.

She grabbed her phone and walked into the foyer to answer the call. "Hello?"

When the person on the other end of the line spoke she stopped breathing, her heart skipped a beat. Two words was all it took to make the world stop spinning. "Hello, love."

* * *

Soundtrack:

Scenes seven, eight & nine:

Can't Go Back — Rosi Golan

A\N: I know I said like weekly updates but this chapter took a while. The next chapter Klaus and Caroline will finally see each other again. Thanks for reading. The quote is William Shakespeare


	4. Begin Again

A\N: so many reviews! It's so much fun to get feedback on my writing! Thank you guys for reading, following, and reviewing.

* * *

•

 **"We all have someone we never speak of.**

 **Someone who meant so much,**

 **That even breathing their names makes your soul tremble**

 **With pain and memories."**

* * *

New Orleans. They were in New Orleans.

Alaric couldn't believe his daughters had grown up thirteen hours away. They had driven through the night, leaving as soon as Klaus had told them where they were, it was almost six a.m. when they pulled up to the hotel the Mikaelsons had paid for.

They had come back to this place so many times, and anybody they talked to always said the same things: the Mikaelsons were long gone.

The room was on one of the higher floors, the wall of glass looking out over the city that had been Josie and Lizzie's home for over a decade. He fell into one of the leather chairs, Caroline perched on the edge of one of the large, white beds. "We should get some rest, the meeting isn't until noon."

She nodded her agreement, but neither moved, both too wired to even consider sleep. As he sat there the navy sky became tawny with the imminent dawn, golden light flooded the room as the sun breached the city skyline.

Neither spoke but they shared the same thought, that the searching was over, and their children were finally within reach.

* * *

Klaus stood in the doorway of the living room, unnoticed by the laughing teens sprawled across the couch. The silly movie that he had never entirely understood played on the TV in front of them, they still found it amusing despite having seen it a good fifteen times.

They were happy, he thought as Hope threw her head back laughing at something Josie had said. He couldn't help but feel pride in that, he had given them a home, one that they felt safe in.

Always and forever had been missing something for centuries, they just hadn't realized it until they were found. His children had repaired a millennia of betrayal and anger in less than two decades.

Nobody was taking his family from him, that was why he had scheduled to meet with Caroline and Alaric before the girls met them, so they were all perfectly clear on the terms of their reentry into their lives.

The sound of coins bouncing made him glance at the screen as another character burst into spare change. He shook his head, the things that passed for entertainment these days.

* * *

Caroline paced, her shoes sinking into the plush carpet. The clock on the wall ticked ever closer to the twelve, her panic worsened with each passing second.

They remembered, it figured Klaus would figure out a way to reverse the spell without Bennett magic. It was supposed to be impossible, which was exactly why they had done it. But would they remember how bad things had been? She and Ric had gone to extreme lengths to shield them from the violence that had dominated their lives.

It was meant to be a temporary situation, getting them out of harm's way long enough to eliminate the threat, a few months at most. And then what was meant to be a few months turned into two years of fighting a faceless enemy that hid behind brainwashed supernaturals. Even when the threat had seemed to be gone they had lived in fear, constantly looking over their shoulders, just waiting for the mysterious power to come back with renewed vengeance for an entire year before they decided it was safe enough to look for the girls.

But they quickly realized how long three years really was, Bonnie's locator spells all failed, pointing them in multiple meaningless directions. Klaus must have done that too, the twins had never been immune to tracking spells before.

Alaric stepped into the room, appearing just as unnerved. "We should get going."

She swallowed her fears and followed him out of the room. It was happening, and it was so much more terrifying than anything she had faced before.

* * *

Kol stood outside of Lizzie's room, he steeled himself for what he was about to do before he knocked. He was going to tell his nieces goodbye and leave this godforsaken city, his mental stability was more important than a child's whim, he told himself determinedly.

He heard her light footsteps as she skipped across the room and opened her door. "Hey," she smiled brightly when she saw him standing there. "Daddy said you went out."

"I did," he said dismissively, not wanting to discuss his trip to the cemetery with a blissfully ignorant Lizzie. "I'm actually leaving today, I wanted to tell you goodbye before I went."

Her joyful expression crumbled, and he brutally pushed aside the twinge of guilt he felt at the sight. "Oh," she said, barely audible but still filled with disappointment.

"It won't really be that long until you see me though," he hurriedly continued. "You and Josie are coming to stay with me in Madrid this summer, remember?"

She nodded but her expression remained numb. Guilt continued to worm its way through his chest despite his attempts to ignore it.

"You know I can't stay in this city for long," he explained himself weakly, even though he shouldn't have to. If she would just smile, just once, his conscience would be appeased. But she didn't, only dropped her gaze to the floor, her bottom lip trembled as she nodded again.

"They're coming today," she said quietly, "I thought you might stay..."

"I was here for the spell," he muttered, feeling his resolve diminish.

"Daddy will be there," she said after a moment, giving a smile that wasn't genuine. "I'll be fine."

 _That's practically permission, just walk away!_ he yelled at himself. "I guess, I don't have anyone waiting... I could stay for a couple more days."

Her smile became real as she threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she mumbled into his shoulder.

" _Just_ a couple days, do you hear me?"

She nodded emphatically, practically glowing with joy. Kol hated this wretched city, he hated this house where he had watched Davina condemned to nothingness, sometimes he even hated his brother, but he could never hate making Liz happy.

* * *

"You stupid, worthless, piece of junk metal!" Hope screamed at the machine above her.

"What's wrong with it today?"

She slid out from under the car to see Marcel leaning against her workbench, she had been too caught up in her work to hear him walk in. "The damn catalytic converter," she growled, grabbing the nearest thing she could reach— a wrench— and threw it across the room. The stone cracked as the metal projectile hit the garage wall.

"Better than the wheel bearings being off," he said pleasantly.

She sneered at him, he knew damn well she had had to fix that too.

"Just buy a new car," he said, absently rearranging the tools that were scattered in a seemingly random way across the bench.

She shot off the floor, smacking his hand away. "I don't want a new car," she insisted, "I want _that_ car."

He shook his head at her stubbornness. "Are you coming to the party tomorrow?"

She winced. "About that..."

Marcel sighed. "What did you do this time?"

"I didn't mean to!" she defended herself. "I was walking home, minding my own business, and I see a seventies Twister mustang— in perfect condition— just parked out on the street. It was unlocked, the keys just left under the seat! That's asking to have your car stolen."

"You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"It's a rare car!"

"Your dad could buy you ten of them!" he argued with a much more valid point.

She just turned away from him and returned to her work, slipping back into the tight space between the concrete floor and the underside of the car.

"I was counting on you to make sure this party wasn't a drag," he complained as she began to unbolt the converter.

"I told you not to agree to host this thing, but did you listen?" she huffed in irritation, pulling loose one of the rusted bolts.

"I've done this before, you know? For that whole century before you even _existed_."

She smiled, glad he couldn't see it. "You'd think a century is long enough to learn what not to do."

"Shut it, kid," he said, though he didn't sound very irritated. "You're making this up to me."

"We'll throw a rager sometime soon," she agreed, dropping the wrench when the bolt stuck and using her fingers instead.

"I'm holding you to that."

She tried to remove the converter, but it didn't budge. She looked closer and let her head fall back against the hard ground with a groan.

"Something else wrong?" he said, much too happily.

"It's welded on," she heard him laugh as he walked out of the room and left her to her work.

* * *

Caroline and Alaric walked up to the gated archway of the large town house. Ric gave her a reassuring look before he knocked on the gate, the metal rattled loudly.

Heels clicked against stone and soon a woman with long ash-blonde hair and sharp features appeared, her heart beat human but there was something bright and, if Caroline was being honest, frightening in her grey eyes. She glanced over her shoulder, searching for confirmation from someone Caroline couldn't see, then she turned back to them. "You're welcome to enter," she addressed Caroline, her deep Russian lilt taking her by surprise.

The woman didn't move but the gate creaked open. A witch? Caroline had a hard time believing Klaus would trust the security of his home to a witch, but it had been a long time since she had known him.

"Follow," she turned and walked away, Ric and Caroline shared a look before they did as she said.

She led them down a poorly lit hallway, they came to another archway that opened into a courtyard flooded with natural light. A balcony wrapped all the way around the large room, doors lined the second floor walkway and she wondered if the twins were behind one of them. Large crest emblazed with M's decorated the concrete pillars, time definitely hadn't made them less theatric.

And in the center of the room, sitting at a wrought iron table was Klaus. He looked the same as he had all those years ago, but when their eyes met she saw something different, a coldness she hadn't expected. He looked to Ric with a slight nod, "Alaric," he glanced back to her, "Caroline. Please," he gestured to the empty chairs.

Caroline sat in one of them at the opposite end of the table from him, Ric sat next to her. She glanced up at the balcony again. "Are they...?" her voice failed her but he understood what she was asking anyway.

"Yes, Josie is reading in the den, and I believe Lizzie is convincing Kol to extend his stay," he said, flicking his hand in the air as he spoke.

She began to stand. "Can we—?"

He held up his hand, and she sunk back into her seat. "There's a reason I asked to speak with you," he said, his voice betrayed nothing of what he was feeling. "I understand your desire to be a part of their lives," Caroline's heart sunk at the words, terrified of him refusing to let them be in the twins lives. "But there will be certain terms."

Ric leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Which would be?"

"Their powers are something they take great pride in, but as I'm sure you know it can be extremely dangerous, that is why only Freya and Kol are allowed to teach them, the Bennett witch will under no circumstances play mentor," he paused and she realized that he was waiting for their agreement, she nodded along with Ric.

"They will not be living with either of you at any point," he continued, "I'm well aware your little group survives like cockroaches but Lizzie and Josie will be staying with people I'm certain can protect them."

They once again nodded, if a bit grudgingly.

"And, of course, you understand that if at any point I think you are a threat to my daughters I will kill you both," he said it calmly, the sincerity of his words shown in his grey-blue eyes. It wasn't even a threat, it was just a fact. In an odd way Caroline appreciated the devotion he had for the girls, it was strange hearing him refer to them as _his_ children, though she probably should have expected it.

Ric's jaw tightened at the statement and she knew it was killing him to hear that Klaus had taken his place.

"Of course," she said quietly.

Ric nodded tightly.

Klaus smiled, nothing happy in the expression. "Masha," he addressed the woman who had stood so silently Caroline had assumed she'd left. "Bring the girls, would you?"

She nodded sharply, going up the stairs and disappeared through one of the doors. Caroline watched her go, she was beautiful in a harsh way, and not that old, thirty, maybe? She wondered if she was an employee or a friend, and then the door reopened and all thoughts left her mind as she watched the girl who stepped into view.

* * *

Lucien studied the house from across the street, waiting for the lights in the upstairs bedrooms to shut off. He watched her as she settled on the couch in the living room, her dark blonde hair was cut to her jaw and there were new laugh lines around her mouth, well into her forties she was still beautiful.

It was a nice, little, white-picket-fence life she had made for herself, modern day perfection, a single mom with two kids, a house in a nice neighborhood with a sleek black SUV in the driveway.

Once the breathing from upstairs shallowed to the pace of sleep he slipped silently across the street and onto the porch. He rapped his knuckles against the door, hearing paper rustle and glass clink as she closed her book and set her wine glass down.

Footsteps padded through the foyer, she didn't hesitate to open the door, why should she? It was a safe neighborhood after all.

The pleasantly confused look faded away, replaced with dread. "Lucien."

"Hello, Alexis," he smiled at her. "Nice place."

"What are you doing here?" she said evenly, leveling a challenging gaze on him. It was admirable, attempting to appear indifferent about him showing up. But the facade of bravery was pointless when he could hear her heart trying to beat out of her chest.

"I'll explain everything," he raised his brows, issuing his own challenge. "Care to invite me in?"

Any one else would've laughed at that, it seemed insane to invite an obvious threat into her home. But Alexis was too smart and knew him too well to refuse, besides, who needs an invitation when you could just burn down the house?

"Come in," she stepped back and allowed him to walk past her into the quaint home.

He went to the living room, sitting on the couch that was a repulsive shade of green. "Cute," he muttered as he took in the cheap decorations and crayon marks across the coffee table.

Alexis sat in the chair across from him. "How did you find me?"

"You aren't as clever as you think," it was almost disappointing how careless she had become.

"At least I didn't die."

His mouth twitched with what was almost a smile. "Protection spell?"

"I would've been an idiot not to take that precaution." Lucien didn't miss the unspoken ' _like you were_ ' in her statement.

It was true, he had thought himself invincible, that arrogance had cost him his life. Twenty years was a long time to reflect on one's pride, he wouldn't make the same mistakes twice.

"I need you to see what outcomes are possible at the moment," he was almost sure Josie hadn't told anyone, but mistrust was a hard mind-set to shake. Besides, she was a Mikaelson, even if she didn't share blood with those people, there was always the chance she had learned one too many bad habits in her life.

"I don't practice anymore."

That was strange, he didn't recall asking her if she did. He looked over her shoulder, standing to take the picture frame off the wall. "They're just adorable," he said, looking at the photo of the two children, both smiling toothily at the camera. "How old are they?"

"Jamie is seven, Morgan is four," she spoke quietly, knowing he didn't care about the answer but answering all the same.

He nodded, setting the picture on the table next to the chair Alexis sat in and pulled the piece of paper from his jacket pocket. "Call me when you have something," he offered her the number and she took it without looking at him.

Lucien left the house, deciding once he was back in the car that he should call his other witch, the more valuable of the two, and was more than pleased when it only rang once.

* * *

Caroline watched as the girl stepped into the walkway, but she couldn't get a clear look at her face because she turned to look at something down the hall, another girl appeared and they walked together down the stairs into the courtyard.

She could barely breathe as they walked towards the table. It wasn't hard to tell which one was Josie and which was Lizzie, no matter how much they had changed their eyes were exactly as she remembered.

Lizzie was all soft features, honey gold curls, and serene smile. Her large blue eyes were full of nervous excitement. She wore pink ballet flats that matched her sundress and the flower clip in her hair. There was a slight bounce in her step that gave her a childish charm.

Josie's features were sharper that her sister's, her white blonde hair worn in two plaits, tied with strips of leather that had antique looking beads strung on the ends. The heels she wore clicked loudly in the silence. Unlike Lizzie she wasn't smiling, and there was nothing nervous about her hard gaze, mistrust was all that glimmered in her dark eyes as she studied the two of them.

They were beautiful, Caroline couldn't have imagined how perfect her daughters had grown to be.

Once they were seated she caught sight of the man she hadn't noticed follow them down the stairs because she was too enraptured by her children. Kol smiled, though it looked more like he was baring his teeth at her.

Worry tinged her elation at the thought of Lizzie and Josie growing up in a home with such a volatile person.

Josie was the first to break the silence, tilting her head as she scrutinized Caroline, then Ric. "So," she drawled, "you were our parents."

"Uh, yeah," Ric said, "I'm Alaric, this is Caroline," he nodded to her and she put on her sunniest smile hoping to sway the impassive teen.

Josie wasn't impressed. Lizzie smiled, clearly trying to break the tension in the room. "I'm Lizzie, that's Josie, you know, in case you can't tell," she stumbled over her words, becoming flustered as she spoke. "But maybe you can, I know we looked a lot alike when we were younger."

"We can tell," Ric told her with a reassuring smile.

She nodded, fidgeting with a charm on her bracelet, Caroline noticed a matching one on Josie's wrist. "Those are nice," she said looking at the small metal charms.

"Thank you," Lizzie said immediately.

"Yeah, they are," Josie said, then jumped slightly and shot her sister a venomous look before she turned back to Caroline with a fake smile that was worse than her stony expression. "But thanks so much for pointing it out."

Kol barked a laugh.

Josie looked over her shoulder at him with a smile that was genuine if mischievous. "Don't you have anything better to do than lurk around like a creep?"

"You know, now that you mention it, I don't think I do," he said.

She lifted a heeled foot to push out one of the empty chairs in invitation, which he unfortunately accepted, falling into the seat next to Josie. "So, is no one going to touch the abandonment incident?"

"Kol!" Lizzie hissed.

"Ooh," Josie put a hand to her mouth in mock surprise, "I think you broached a taboo subject."

"Did I?" he said, playing along with Josie and a sounding absolutely shocked. "My mistake, maybe it's safer to stick with the small talk?"

"Actually," Ric cut in, "we do owe you an explanation." he glanced at her, just as lost as to how they should begin to explain. "When you were three—"

"Ugh, this story starts three years pre-abandonment?"

"Kol," Klaus growled at him, and he finally shut his mouth.

"There was a place, the Armory, it studied supernatural relics and biology, they had caught a creature years before we found it and kept it in a vault."

"They kept someone locked in a vault?" Josie said, this time her surprise was sincere, along with the disgust. Lizzie looked just as disturbed by the idea.

"It was dangerous," Ric began, trying to explain how necessary locking it up had been. "It had killed one of their people—"

"No shit. If someone locked my in a vault I'd be murderous too," Josie said, crossing her legs and her arms with an attitude that reminded Caroline of herself in her teen years.

"When you were three we had to open the vault—"

This time it was Klaus who interrupted, voice full of scorn. "Ah, I see, this happened because of some failed attempt at heroics."

"Bonnie was being controlled—but that's not important," Caroline said, it had seemed important, at the time she had thought it was one of the worst things that had ever happened to them.

"When the vault opened, the creature got out, it took Damon and Enzo with it. Changed them, and if losing some of our closest friends wasn't bad enough they came after you two," Ric shook his head. "We just needed to know you both were safe..."

"So, Bonnie made us a spell that would send you to the only person I could think of who would stand a chance against this _thing's_ servants." Caroline turned to Klaus. "I didn't actually know where you were, turns out that was a good thing, whatever this creature is it can get into a person's mind. The spell would send them to you without telling me where they went."

Ric looked at the twins. "The reverse was supposed to be simple, my blood and Bonnie's magic would be enough to locate you, but it... it didn't work."

"Freya made sure we weren't vulnerable to tracking spells when we were eight," Josie said, tipping her chin up defiantly. "You had two years you could've found us."

"That's how long it took this threat to die down," he said, and of Caroline didn't know him so well she would have missed the spark of guilt in his eyes.

"We've never stopped looking for you," Caroline said, her voice thick with emotion. "You have no idea how much we love you two."

There was silence, something akin to sympathy shined in Lizzie's blue eyes, and it seemed they might have even gotten through to Josie. Then she stood, "Well, storytime has been fascinating," she looked at Klaus, "I promised Eli I'd meet him at Rousseau's."

Klaus nodded, "Be home by ten."

She clasped her hands in front of her chest, bouncing slightly in her platform heels. "I'm eighteen now, can't it be eleven?"

"No later," he relented.

Josie grinned victoriously, it faded fractionally when she looked back to them, she walked away without another word.

They watched their daughter leave before turning back to Lizzie, she looked flustered at the sudden undivided attention. She began to fidget again with the charms on her wrist.

Kol looked at his watch, jumping up suddenly. "We're going to be late."

Lizzie looked up at him in confusion.

"Remember? We had plans in the Cauldron today."

Caroline had no idea what the 'cauldron' was, but it was obvious they hadn't had any plans, that he was just trying to save her from an awkward situation. She stayed quiet.

"Is that alright?" Lizzie asked with no clear indication who she was speaking to.

Klaus nodded.

"Thanks, daddy," she said, she stood, leaning across the table to kiss his cheek. "Back by ten."

"You have until eleven," he said, and she beamed as if it was the most unexpected news.

When she looked back at Caroline and Ric her smile faded as she struggled to find the right thing to say. Then she smiled sweetly, "It was very nice to meet you both."

Caroline watched her walk away, feeling like someone had hollowed out her chest with the polite words.

"I still don't get something," Ric said, looking as calm and collected as usual. "We came back here looking for them, so many times, every time anyone we talked to told us you had left this city ages ago."

Klaus shrugged. "We leave town often, when we do I compel local shop owners and vampires to say we've been gone for years."

"Why?" Caroline asked, knowing he would have a reason, whether it was paranoid and ridiculous was yet to be decided.

"If someone with less than pleasant intentions came looking for us there was less of a chance they would wait and ambush us if they thought we had been gone too long to expect us to return."

Yup, paranoid, but not all that ridiculous, considering the amount of enemies he had.

Ric stared at his hands folded on the table. "I missed twelve years of their lives because of poor timing?"

"Unfortunate," Klaus agreed dispassionately.

Ric stood so fast the chair almost tipped backwards, and walked out.

Caroline knew he felt the same ache as she did, the knowledge that they had found their daughters and still nothing was right. 'What if's were dangerous, and a billion of them ran rampant in her mind.

Klaus interrupted her tormenting thoughts when he stood, "I doubt either of them will be back a minute before eleven, I'm sure you can show yourself out?"

She was surprised by his casual dismissal, why not just tell her to get out? For a moment she just sat there in shock at how the meeting had gone, but when he walked away— not even bothering to look back at her— she stood and, seeing nothing else to do, walked away as well.

* * *

Josie flipped through the dresses on the rack with growing frustration, brushing off the saleswoman's offer of assistance. Normally she would have had Masha make her something for such an important event but she didn't want to have to think up another lie to tell her father if he asked why she needed a new dress.

She would have ordered something off the internet but since Lucien had called and asked if she wanted to go out for dinner that evening that wasn't an option either.

Which left her here, retail hell. Where nothing fit right and all of the colors were just _slightly_ the wrong shade.

Everything had to be perfect. _She_ had to be perfect, especially after how awful she had looked the morning before. Unfortunately nothing in any of the stores she had visited had lived up to her 'perfect' vision.

Her face twisted in disgust at the fluorescent green dress displayed on one of the mannequins on the dais in the center of the store. Ugh, nothing was right!

Just when she was ready to give up, to go home and dredge up an outfit from her closet, she saw it, on a hanger on the back wall, half hidden behind a display of cheap jewelry.

She smiled. Perfect.

* * *

Caroline sat in the overpriced hotel room, sulking. Ric had left to call Seline and she was left alone to think over every second of the meeting again and again, as she had been doing for hours.

Josie didn't _hate_ her, Caroline decided, she was just guarded. She needed time, which was completely reasonable. Even if it was going to hurt. A lot.

Knocking came from the door. She frowned. Ric had taken his key card, hadn't he?

She crept to the door, annoyed when she realized there was no peephole. Well, if it was anyone who could actually hurt her a locked door wouldn't stop them. She opened the door. Caroline wasn't sure if she should be worried or relieved that it was Klaus who stood there.

"Hey," she said, because what else was there to say?

He looked down at the beige carpet, then the door, finally meeting her eyes. "Was it the truth?" he asked, showing more emotion than he had the entire meeting. "What you told them?"

"Of course it's true," she said, her grief mixed with her surprise at the question and the words came out sounding as horrified as she felt.

"Forgive my doubt, it's not as if you've ever lied about your intentions before."

She was so not dealing with this shit right now. He caught the door when she tried to slam it shut. He sighed, looking to the floor again and she knew he regretted his words, but she didn't expect an apology and she didn't get one.

"It's been a long time, I doubt you're the same person, but is it still safe to assume you won't be leaving this town until you and those kids are on good terms?" he looked up at her.

She crossed her arms, but some of her anger faded at his hesitant— almost nervous— expression. "Yes, it is."

He opened his mouth and closed it without speaking. "You could stay in our home... if you'd like."

She stood, frozen at his blunt offer.

When she didn't respond immediately he shrugged. "You can stay here if you prefer."

"No!" she said quickly, "No, I'd— I'd really like that." Of course, that was only if... "This offer is for Ric too, right?"

"Obviously, I wouldn't trust him all alone with a mini bar."

Caroline rolled her eyes, turning away from him. "I'm going to repack."

"You've been here for twelve hours."

"I stress organized!" she called over her shoulder.

* * *

The streets were still busy well after sunset, the French Quarter full of tourists, artists, and plenty of those who only thrived in the darkness. It was obvious how comfortable Josie was wandering the streets, unafraid of the supernaturals she was perfectly aware were all around her.

Lucien kept a possessive arm around her shoulders as they walked, she leaned into his touch happily. They hadn't spoken since leaving the restaurant but it was a comfortable silence.

When they came to an intersection Josie sighed, turning to him. "This would be where we say goodnight."

"I'm not allowed to walk you home then?"

She grinned, twining her fingers with his. "No, but I wouldn't mind a goodnight kiss."

He smiled, tugging her closer. "Is that so?"

"Mhm," she hummed, tilting her face up in invitation.

The heat behind the kiss was far from fabricated. He had wanted to taste her since she strut into the restaurant, the white dress hugging every curve in the most delicious way.

His hand slid down the curve of her waist, resting on her hip. It was a shame he wouldn't get to take it off her, he thought as she pressed impossibly closer.

He wasn't sure how long they stood there, tangled up in each other, far longer than was decent considering where they stood. When she pulled away her lips ruddy from the attention, she looked up at him through her lashes with dark, lust filled eyes.

She took a small step back, smiling. "Goodnight, Lucien."

Her fingers slipped from his. "Goodnight, darling."

* * *

Lizzie smiled as everyone else around the table groaned. She had won. Again.

"How do you _do_ that?" Marcus, one of Marcel's nightwalkers, asked.

Lizzie shrugged. Honestly, she had no idea, she had been good at poker since Kol had taught her when she was eleven. At first she had thought he was letting her win, but eventually realized she was actually _good_ at it. Which was odd, since she was a rubbish liar. Maybe it was just good luck. Or genetics.

She would ask Ric if he was good at the game, she thought then realized with some residual shock that she _could._ She could ask her birth parents all the questions she had thought of over the years. All the things that had kept her up at night.

Kol looked up at her from her phone. "I'm meeting Josh for drinks, you're good here?"

It was a silly question, she felt safe anywhere in the city— she _was_ safe anywhere in the city. She nodded.

He smiled, mussing her hair before he left.

"Another game?" she asked innocently as she absently shuffled the stack of cards.

"Sorry, sweetheart, I don't have any more money to lose to you," Marcus said.

"Yeah," Rio glanced at her watch. "I gotta tap out too."

The others bailed quickly after and she was left with nothing to stop her growing boredom, she was about to pocket the cards and money and go home when a deep voice drew her attention to see a man not much older than herself stood behind the chair Marcus had vacated. "What's the buy in?"

"Fifty," she answered honestly, then realized some people considered that a lot of money and he might think she was saying it just to get rid of him. "But—"

He tossed a fifty onto the disarray of bills already piled on the table's center. Lizzie smiled.

They played in silence for a while, he took the seat across from her and rarely looked up at her, while she on the other hand was much too curious not to stare, not that she was obvious— hopefully.

He broke the silence first. "This might be a rude question," he kept his eyes on his cards, "but what does it feel like, siphoning?"

She blinked in surprise. "You know I can...?"

"I felt it as soon as I saw you," he told her.

That was odd, most people couldn't get away fast enough when they found out what she was, and he had decided to come sit with her?

Odd, but... exciting. He wasn't afraid, in fact he was _curious_.

"It's hard to explain," she said, well aware of what a cop-out answer it was. But how did she answer something like that? It was terrifying at times, but she didn't want to sound like she was afraid of what she was because she really wasn't. It was just frightening to know the damage her touch could cause another person. And then there was the tiny, terrible part of her that enjoyed it for exactly the same reason.

"I mean, sure," he looked up at her finally, and the chaotic glint in his dark blue eyes should have worried her, "but it has to be a rush, right? Knowing you can destroy anyone you can touch, that you could decide to take everything from someone, and there's nothing they could do to stop you."

"Well, since I'm not a psychopath who gets off on others suffering," she tilted her head at him, her lips popped slightly as she gave a half honest answer, "No."

He smiled devilishly as he leaned towards her. "What a waste," he said lowly, and she felt an unfamiliar heat in her chest.

She snapped her cards down, "straight flush."

His gaze traced the curve of her face with amusement. "Yes," he agreed quietly, showing his hand before she could reply. "Five of a kind."

She stared at the cards. He had won... he had beat her.

He stood, taking his fifty back but leaving the rest untouched. She frowned in confusion. "You're not taking it?"

He looked over the bills with indifference. "I don't want your money, princess. Thanks for the entertainment though."

Disappointment twisted in her stomach at the thought of him leaving. "Do you have a name?"

He paused, drumming his fingers on the table as his mouth curved in a half smile. "Do I... have a name?" he chuckled softly and she found she liked the sound, even if he was mocking her with it. "Yeah, yeah, I got a name."

"Can I know what it is?" a slight edge crept into her voice. She obviously hadn't meant it literally, he had taken it that way just to annoy her.

"Kaleb," he said, turning and walked away before she could tell him her own in turn. That annoyed her more than she could handle.

"I'm Lizzie," she shot at his back, he turned with raised eyebrows and she gave him a sickly-sweet smile. "In case you were curious."

He smiled slowly, continuing to move, backing away from her even as he held her gaze. Then he turned and continued on his way, calling over his shoulder, "I'll be seeing you, sunshine."

He disappeared into one of the alleyways off the Cauldron and she heard the distinct sound of a motorcycle revving to life. The sound faded and she sat there, alone once again, left with thoughts of cinnamon curls and dark blue eyes, his taunting voice as he dubbed her "princess".

Princess had always been an endearing term coming from her father, but it might have been an insult coming from Kaleb, being unsure of the intention behind the name drove her crazy, and she felt for all the world like he had done it on purpose.

* * *

Josie walked into the house, wearing the high-wasted shorts and blue t-shirt she had left in, her dress folded neatly and stuffed at the bottom of her purse. The black envelope that had been stuck in the gate in hand. She shook her head at Marcel's theatrics, the official invitation was written in crimson letters across black stationery.

She tugged at the link, feeling her sister had already returned home. She walked up the stairs and headed for the den.

"Lizzie, are you—" she froze when she saw the blonde sitting with her sister.

Caroline smiled in her annoyingly friendly way. "Hey, how was your night?" she asked like it was the most normal thing for her to just be in their home.

Lizzie gave her a please-don't-make-a-scene smile. "Josie, daddy invited Caroline and Ric to stay with us."

She kept her face blank. "Did he now?"

Caroline turned in her seat to face her. "I was hoping we could spend some time together, maybe get to know each other a little better?"

Josie stared at her, she could _see_ Caroline's hopes fall. Good, it was clear words weren't necessary for the blonde to know her answer.

She turned away from her and walked out.

* * *

Soundtrack:

Scenes eleven, twelve & thirteen:

Satellite Call — Sara Bareilles

* * *

The quote is Nikita Gill


	5. Blood Ties

A\N: I known it's been forever since I updated, so sorry about that! I was really busy for a couple weeks and didn't have time to write, after that I just lost my inspiration. But here it is! Tell me what you think and thank you for reading.

•

 **"Lost time is never found again."**

* * *

Caroline walked down the hall, trying to find the twins in the excessively large house was quite the challenge. Or maybe they were just avoiding her. Which wasn't hard to believe after Josie's rejection the night before.

It wasn't like she expected them to be instant best friends or for them to start calling her 'mom' again. But wasn't she even a tiny bit curious? Caroline certainly was, countless sleepless nights had been spent wondering who her daughters had become.

The door to the living room was half closed but Caroline didn't think to knock, she paused in the doorway when she saw Kol and Lizzie standing at the table, looking over a grimoire, he tapped the page. "I told you, dumbass, if you would've just _listened_."

Lizzie flicked her nails at him, droplets of whatever her hands were soaked with fell onto his arm and he hissed in pain. Were they coating her hands in vervain?

"Ingrate," he said, the insult came out sounding more like an endearment.

She poked him, and smiled when he pulled away from her. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

He caught her wrists as she went to poke him again, and she began wiggling her fingers to try and get the liquid to splash him. She giggled as he managed to keep the vervain away from him.

Watching them laugh Caroline suddenly felt like she was encroaching on a private moment. She took a step back, hoping to leave before they noticed her, the floor creaked beneath her feet. They both looked at her, Kol's mirth vanished at the sight of her, Lizzie's devious smile softened into something sweeter.

"Good morning, Caroline." she said, as polite as the day before.

"Good morning," she said, and hoped she didn't look as ridiculous as she felt. "I was just... looking for you," adding hurriedly, "but you're obviously busy, so I'll just..." she nodded towards the door.

"No, don't," Lizzie said. "Stay, I'm sure you being here won't disturb the spell any."

"But that _is_ coming from the same person who thought they should use sandalwood in an offensive spell," Kol said, clearly unhappy with her presence.

"It's defensive too!" she argued, with a stubborn glare.

Caroline smiled at that, she had hated being told she was wrong when she was little. Apparently that hadn't changed.

Kol looked over the table, and picked a small vial out of the collection of jars, bags, and bundles of loose herbs. He tossed it to her and Lizzie poured it into the stone basin without question.

"What are you trying to do?" Caroline asked as Lizzie pressed her palms into the mixture.

"Vampire repellent," she smiled impishly. "We're seeing if we can mirror the effects of vervain, so I don't have to have it on me to use it. Essentially, we're—"

"Turning your skin to vervain?" Caroline guessed.

She didn't question Caroline's familiarity with the spell, only nodded, and lifted her dripping hands from the basin. She turned to Kol, took a deep breath, then nodded. He lifted his hands, pressing them to hers, and winced.

A soft glow emanated from their joined hands, Lizzie's eyes fell shut as she whispered in the language all witches seemed to know. It was different than watching Bonnie perform spells, the magic didn't seem to hurt her the way it always had Bonnie. In fact, she looked peaceful.

The same couldn't be said about Kol, his eyes were shut tightly in pain, his hands greyed with desiccation. But he didn't pull away. Caroline was unsure whether she was impressed or concerned by his willingness to suffer for the sake of her witchcraft.

Her voice rose, a strange shimmer ran across her skin and she dropped his hands. He slumped against the table, his breath shuddered with relief.

"Did it work?" he asked, arms braced against the table edge, his head hung low in exhaustion.

"Let's see," she said, then grabbed his arm, he groaned. "It worked."

"Sadist," he accused as he straightened with a wince. "I'm going to get some blood, don't torture any one while I'm gone."

"Oh, don't worry," Lizzie started to pick up the ingredients scattered across the table, "It's only fun hurting you."

He rolled his eyes, and left the room with a muttered comment about sociopathic behavior.

She pressed her hand to her own arm, it glowed as she siphoned off the spell. Caroline raised her eyebrows.

Lizzie smiled when she saw her surprise. "We were just seeing if I could, I don't want to accidentally burn someone."

"Except Kol apparently," Caroline said, without any real concern for the Original.

"He has it coming," she said as she sealed a plastic bag full of purple flowers. "You know, he didn't come home for Christmas this year."

"That's a pretty rude thing to do," she agreed, just maybe not _torture_ _someone_ _with_ _vervain_ level rude.

Lizzie nodded, her lips pursed in annoyance, then sighed. "He doesn't mean to upset me," she said, more like she was trying to convince herself than Caroline. "It's just hard for him here."

Oh yeah, living in the multi-million dollar mansion in a city that vampires rule. Poor guy.

Caroline just smiled. "Why? I thought your family loved this city."

"He did," Lizzie said quietly, returning the jars of odd ingredients to a cabinet near the window. She turned back to Caroline with forced cheeriness. "I'm going for coffee, want anything?"

"No, thank you," she said, and wondered where the conversation had gone wrong.

She nodded. "If Kol asks tell him I'm at Insomnia, would you?"

"Yeah." Caroline tried not to show how disappointed she was.

Lizzie smiled, but it wasn't real. She left and Caroline fell onto the couch, shoulders slumped in defeat. Kol walked back into the room a few minutes later, finishing off a blood bag and tossed it in the wastebasket by the door. He didn't look at her as he went to the table and collected the grimoire Lizzie had left out. When he didn't so much as glance at her, or acknowledge her existence in any way, she realized he was actually pretending she wasn't there.

Was he twelve? She knew he hated her, but ignoring her was just childish. "Lizzie said that she was going to Insomnia."

Kol looked up at her silently, long enough to make her squeamish under his gaze. "I heard," he said, and Caroline knew he didn't just mean the part about the coffee.

Of course he had been listening, because why on earth would he let her have a private conversation with her daughter?

She clamped her mouth shut, if she spoke now he would get the bitch-out of his immortal life. Not that he didn't deserve it, but it would cause more trouble than he was worth. It was obvious that— for whatever reason— Lizzie adored him, and she didn't want to piss off the only person who seemed happy to have her around.

The ass seemed to know exactly what she was thinking, he flashed a nasty smile and left her seething in rage. Once she was calm enough that there wasn't a risk of her going after Kol and scratching his eyes out she stood and left the room.

She paused in the doorway, tensing as she saw someone in the courtyard below. Wait, she frowned, was that Elijah?

They had never properly met but after trying to find the family for more than a decade she knew all of them on sight.

Though he had changed, his hair was a bit longer, and there was no apparent style to it. And, shockingly, he was wearing jeans, along with a brown jacket over a dark t-shirt.

Maybe he would have some insight on the twins odd behavior. Before she could speak, or even make her presence known, a shriek of joy came from somewhere in the house. Another person hit him at blur speed, sending him spinning a few times before he caught his balance. A brunette woman was latched onto him koala-style, her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his abdomen, face hidden against his shoulder.

He took the attack of affection in stride, setting a hand on her leg and hooked his arm around her back, though she didn't seem to need any help holding on. "I was only gone an hour."

"I got in," the voice was muffled.

Elijah pulled back slightly, and she lifted her head, brown hair fell back to show her face. Hayley.

Caroline wasn't surprised, Hayley _was_ Hope's mother. Though why she was pasted onto the eldest Mikaelson brother Caroline had no idea.

"You got in?" he asked.

She held up a piece of paper crumpled in her tight grip "I got in."

A smile broke across his face, he practically glowed with pride. "You got in."

Hayley nodded, before she lurched forward to kiss him.

Caroline looked away when she realized she was infringing on another private moment, the couple below too absorbed by each other to notice her walk away.

* * *

Lizzie sat in the back of the busy coffee shop, she managed to get her favorite corner booth despite the Sunday morning rush. She had come to Insomnia with the hopes of talking to Virginia, then remembered it was her day off, and decided to stay anyway. It was rude how she had run out on Caroline, but the direction the conversation had took frightened her. She couldn't possibly explain, it wasn't her tragedy to tell.

She scrolled through her playlist absently, looking for something to drown out the rowdy conversation in the booth next to her.

A coffee cup was set on the table in front of her; she looked up into steel blue eyes.

Kaleb sat across from her. "Hello, princess."

Well, wasn't he presumptuous? Maybe she had wanted to sit alone. She didn't mind the company. But he still should've asked. Stubborness was something she struggled with, even if it was a quieter kind than her sister's.

She saw the cup in front of him and realized the coffee was for her. She had meant to wait for the rush to die down before she ordered, but the line had only gotten longer. That strange warmth fluttered in her chest, the same way it had the night before, it was such a simple gesture, but she hadn't expected it from him. It seemed too sweet, considering he had only met her the day before, and talked to her for a total of thirty minutes. Maybe there was kindness beneath his sardonic bravado.

He frowned slightly, and waved his hand in front of her.

She flushed with embarrassment. Oh hell, had she been staring at him the whole time? "Thanks, but I only drink—" he reached forward as she spoke and turned the cup to show the decaf symbol. "Well, now I just think you're stalking me."

"Please, princess, I don't have time to be a stalker," his lips twitched in an almost smile. "Not a good one anyway."

She raised a brow, and matched his half smile. "I'm almost afraid to drink this."

Amusement glimmered in his eyes but he kept his face straight. "If you really don't want it..." he went to take it back.

Lizzie snatched it up, sipped primly on the drink, and ignored his victorious look. "Thank you," she said. "Can I pay you back?"

"No," he answered immediately, unwaveringly. "But tell me something, why is it that a pretty girl like you is here all alone?"

She frowned at the question. He had happened to catch her on her own all of twice, it wasn't like she was _always_ that way. "I just wanted some time to myself." she rarely lied but she was as convincing as either of her sisters when she needed to be.

Yet he seemed to see through her. "Uh-huh," he drawled, then shrugged. "I'll let you get back to it then."

"Wait," she latched onto his wrist when he moved to leave.

Kaleb grimaced. "Whoa there, sunshine, watch it with the magic hands."

Lizzie released her hold quickly. "Sorry," she dropped her gaze, folding her hands on the table. "I didn't mean to."

She waited with dread for him to leave, to decide hanging around a siphon was more hazard than fun. Josie always had such perfect control over her abilities, Lizzie didn't do as well. It was part of the reason she liked when Kol taught her, he wouldn't be at as much of a risk if she screwed up. And she screwed up, a lot.

"It's alright," he leaned forward, smiling as he flexed his wrist. "Didn't even hurt."

She looked away to hide the grin she couldn't stop. Why was he so calm about this? She had just siphoned him, literally stole a piece of his life force, had _felt_ his magic— her eyes widened. Magic.

Kaleb was a witch.

It made sense, she _had_ met him in the Cauldron. Suddenly she remembered what he had said the night before, _I felt it as soon as I saw you_. She cringed at her own obliviousness.

"What are you listening to?"

She looked up blankly, then realized one of her headphones was still in. She handed him the phone, not yet trusting herself to speak. He took it, and scrolled through the playlist with growing surprise. "Damn, princess, I'm impressed," he cut his gaze up to hers. "You have the entire Hellish Crossfire album on here."

"Yeah, well, Iron Angel isn't Metallica, or anything, but I've always felt they were grossly underappreciated."

He stared at her for a long moment before he said seriously, "I think I'm in love with you."

She laughed, and he broke into a smile.

Kaleb continued to look through the songs she had. "Here's another rude question—"

"Oh, you're so good at those," Lizzie said dryly, surprised by her own sarcasm.

He only smiled brighter at her attitude. "How did a girl like..." he looked over her pointedly, " _you_ , get into this stuff?"

"My uncle." She would have never even considered listening to half her favorite bands if Kol hadn't played his music around her so often. Elijah had greatly disapproved of her change in music tastes, though he had never showed it besides the disappointed look he gave when she listened to it around him.

"He did a good job," Kaleb said approvingly, and handed her back the device.

"That's a matter of perspective." She pocketed her phone.

His smile dimmed as he looked at his watch. "As enlightening as this has been, I have to get to work."

"Are you sure I can't pay you back?" She tapped the lid with a powder pink fingernail.

"Positive," he said, then smiled, that worrisome glint in his eyes. "But I would like to see you again seeing as I don't currently have the time to properly make fun of that god-awful phone case."

She ran her fingers over the textured tie-dye pattern. "I happen to like it," she defended the retro-style impulse buy.

"And I'd like to hear why, later," he became serious again. "Of course, I can't go scouring the Quarter every time I want to talk to you."

"Of course," she agreed, waiting for him to voice the question, intent on making nothing easy for him.

"Obviously I will be needing your number."

She raised her brows. "Will you? Are you sure you want to call a phone with such a terrible case?"

"Well, over the phone I won't have to see it," he shot back, as he pulled his own phone from his jacket pocket and held it out.

She took it from him with a huff to make it clear she wasn't pleased with his antics. She added her number into his contacts list and handed the case-less silver phone back to him.

"Thanks," he said as he typed, "but you put something in wrong." Kaleb turned the phone to show her he had changed her contact name from 'Lizzie' to 'Princess'. He flashed one last smile before he stood and walked away.

She shook her head with a smile as she watched him go. Kaleb was odd, she was glad for it. Normal got boring when someone lived as she did.

* * *

Ric hated the house, he had spent fifteen minutes that morning trying to find his way from his room to the kitchen, and since breakfast he had been wandering around looking for one of his daughters, both of whom he had begun to think weren't even there.

He paused at a door, music played loudly on the other side. Might as well, he thought, and knocked on the door. No answer came. He knocked again. No answer.

Ric's hand settled on the doorknob but he hesitated. Opening random doors in the Originals home was begging for long-term trauma.

Screw it, he opened the door. Sighing with relief when all it led to was the garage. Thank everything holy.

The music was much louder once it wasn't muffled by an inch and a half of wood, he could faintly hear metal scraping over the deafening sound. A clatter as a chisel skid across the floor, an aggravated huff came from the other end of the garage as a girl slid out from under a beat-up car.

She was a few years olderer than the twins. Black hair pulled back into a loose ponytail that did nothing to keep her messy bangs from falling in her face. Ric had never met her before, but the irritation that hardened her face was familiar. Klaus had gotten that same expression almost every time he talked to them. Which meant she was Hope, the magical miracle baby.

Her grey eyes flickered up to meet his, she continued to the workbench, unconcerned by the stranger in her garage. "Ric, right?" she grabbed an old rag to wipe the grease off her hands.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I was just looking for Josie and Lizzie."

Hope barked a laugh. "You won't find either of them in here."

"Alright," he nodded and began to turn away, then paused. This kid had grown up with his daughters, and it would be easier to ask her than Klaus or one of his equally psychotic siblings. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," she muttered, and started to rummage through the mess of tools.

"Is Josie always so...?" he paused to consider his words.

"Bitchy?" Hope offered. "Vicious? Callous?"

"Guarded," Ric corrected, even if her description was just as accurate. "I was going to say guarded."

A slight, very knowing, smile tilted up the corners of her mouth. "Don't take it personally. Josie's hard to get to know, but stick it out, once she decides she's loyal to someone there's nothing she won't do for them."

"That's mildly reassuring." At least she wasn't cold to _everyone_.

Hope's tank top shifted as she turned away from him to search through a tool box, a scar on her back visible for a moment before she shifted and it was concealed by black cloth again. Huh, her healing must not be as fast as the rest of her family's.

 _None of your business_ , he thought.

"What about Lizzie? The whole sunshine and rainbows thing, is that real?"

Hope laughed. "Lizzie is as genuine as a person can be."

"I expected her to be... angrier." Josie's behavior was disappointing but unsurprising. How was the kid supposed to act after twelve years?

"Angry? No. Hurt, maybe," she pulled out a recip saw, and looked it over critically.

"We tried to find them," he said resolutely. Why it mattered if she believed him he had no clue, but it did.

She looked up at him, leveling him with a piercing gaze. The greyish-blue eyes locked on his were searching even as her face stayed blank. The intensity was disconcerting, and in extreme contrast to how casual she had been moments before.

She nodded slowly, accepting his words were genuine. "I believe you," she said quietly, as if she had heard his thoughts. Maybe she had, who the hell knew what abilities tribrids had?

Hope turned abruptly towards the front of the room, the garage door opened. Her hearing was definitely above average. "Marcel," she smiled, back to her laid-back manner.

"Hey, kid." He held up a cardboard drink carrier. "I brought caffeine."

She put a hand to her chest. "You do love me."

The man handed her one of the cups before turning to Ric. "Who would this be?"

"Alaric," he said, "Saltzman."

"Lizzie and Josie's dad," Hope explained.

"Uh-huh," he turned to address Hope. "Did he have a good explanation or can I string him up in the Quarter?"

Oh, look at that, another person willing to commit murder for his daughters.

"He had a good reason," she confirmed.

He accepted her answer without asking what the reason had been. "Well, then, it was nice meeting you. I just came by to bring the prisoner coffee. You're welcome by the way."

Hope rolled her eyes, then smiled, and held up a finger. "I have a great idea, you should come to dinner tonight! We're having a family dinner, you're family. C'mon, it'll be fun."

This guy was family? How many orphans did they take in?

"Hate to miss that," he said dryly, "but I'm going to, because some of us have actual responsibilities."

"Yeah, yeah," she held up her cup. "Thanks for this, you can get out now."

Marcel shook his head with a smile. "It appears I've been dismissed, it was nice meeting you."

Ric inclined his head slightly. "You too, besides, you know, the casual talk of my murder."

"Be glad it was only talk," he replied, no animosity in his cheerful expression.

Hope drained the last of her drink, she tossed the empty cup at Marcel. "Pitch that, would you?"

Marcel huffed a laugh before he left.

"Anyway," she pointed the saw at him, "like I was saying, Josie's a piece of work, and Lizzie's way too trusting, but you know, they're my sisters, and I love them, and if you hurt them—"

"You'll kill me?"

"Glad you're catching on. See you at dinner," she grabbed a pair of safety glasses and went back to the car, the recip saw buzzed to life and he took it as his cue to leave.

* * *

It had seemed like a good idea when Klaus suggested it, but an uncomfortable silence had settled over the table as soon as they were all seated. She hated silence, and nobody else seemed eager to start the conversation. "So, girls, how was your day?"

Josie looked up from her plate, she turned to Klaus. "Are we seriously doing this?"

He sighed as he met her gaze, and gestured towards Caroline.

Josie turned back to her. "It was fine."

"Mine was great," Lizzie said happily. "Me and Kol figured out the vervain spell, and I got free coffee at Insomnia."

"That's nice," Caroline agreed.

"Vervain spell?" Klaus questioned.

She smiled brightly, and murmured something before she reached over to set her hand over his. He winced, and pulled it away from her touch. "Interesting, how long does that last."

Lizzie shrugged. "Until I siphon it off."

Ric sat forward, as confused as Caroline. "How did you...?"

"What?"

"What did you use to do that?" he clarified.

Lizzie held up her hand and shook it, the charms on her bracelet jingled pleasantly as they hit against each other.

"That's a dark object?"

"Yes and no," she said. "It's a dark object, but that's not why it gives me power, that would be the blood."

"Blood?" Caroline frowned at the small, jeweled, metal spheres, that were now more ominous than elegant.

"Uh-huh," she tapped one of the charms with her nail, "daddy," the one beside it, "Kol, Elijah, Rebekah..." she hummed in thought for a moment before continuing, "Freya, Marcel, and Josh," she finished happily.

"Josh?" Caroline asked lightly.

"You can channel them through the blood in your charms?" Ric threw out his own question before Lizzie could answer hers.

"Yup," she said easily, as if she hadn't just told them she had access to the life force of the four most powerful supernaturals alive around her wrist. "By the way, Kol, get some blood."

Kol sighed, his head fell back to thump against the back of his chair. "Why is it always me?"

"Because we all hope for a repeat of Amsterdam," Josie said, then stuck up her middle finger in return of Kol's gesture.

Amsterdam? As in drugs, booze, spring-break-dream, _Amsterdam_? Klaus let them go to... Wait, they had a curfew, of course he hadn't let them go off to Europe without him.

"Amsterdam?" Ric asked, and to his credit he made it sound more like curiosity than concern.

Lizzie grinned, ecstatic to explain. "We were with Kol, and this guy was giving Josie a hard time, I guess we had the same idea because we grabbed our bracelets to cast a spell, just to freak him out, and the two of us accidentally both siphoned Kol, and," she started to giggle at the memory, "he passed out, and fell into the Herengracht canal."

Josie smiled at that. "Dumbass came up sputtering and ready to kill."

"He still won't tell us what happened to the guy," Lizzie shot him a reproachful look.

"If he didn't want to get hurt he shouldn't have been feeling up sixteen year old girls," Kol shrugged.

"I'm sure he had time to think about that while he dissolved in that barrel of acid," Josie said offhandedly.

"Closer," he admitted.

Closer... Caroline barely kept herself from groaning, her daughter was guessing how he had murdered some jerk in another country. Lovely.

Maybe silence wasn't all that bad, she wouldn't hear about disturbing family vacations in silence. Another thought hit that made her stomach drop, how many times had they seen death? People they loved, _trusted_ , kill.

How skewed were their moral compasses? Even Lizzie seemed at ease with the morbid guessing game. Did they think it was normal? How often were they witness to— Oh, no, please no, nausea rose in her throat, had _they_ killed?

"Can we please remember what is appropriate dinner conversation?" Freya said from the other end of the table.

"Can you please remember some of us prefer fun to appropriate?" Kol's words were light but there was something dark in his voice that made Caroline wondered if there was bad blood between the two, at least more than the usual bitterness the Mikaelsons had against each other.

Lizzie sat forward, and spoke excitedly, either oblivious or unconcerned by the tension. "Let's talk about France instead!"

"Perhaps now isn't the best time for that," Klaus said, and she could have sworn he sounded _nervous_ , as if he wasn't sure how to handle the situation. And maybe it was wrong but that only made her want to know more about whatever it was Lizzie was talking about.

"What about France?" Caroline asked.

"We go every year," she said, her eyes going dreamy as she spoke, "it's so beautiful."

"Lizzie, please," Klaus said, "if we could discuss this later—"

"We aren't going," Josie snapped icily.

"What?" She looked to Klaus for an explanation. "Why would we not go?"

"Because we'll be too busy _bonding_ with our new family," Josie sniped.

Klaus looked at her sharply. "That is enough."

She sat quietly for a moment, her gaze steady on his. Then she smiled— bright and fake. "This," she hit her palms lightly on the table before she stood, "has been lovely, but I have to go get ready."

Caroline suppressed a sigh. Time, she reminded herself, she just needs time, it had only been a day. Besides didn't all teenagers hate their parents at some point?

"If the kid is ditching so am I." Kol stood and walked out, the food on his plate untouched.

Rebekah sat forward. "I'll take that to mean this train wreck of a dinner has come to its end."

Freya stood as her sister walked out. "I promised Keelin I would meet her at Rousseau's."

Elijah and Hayley left after them, with a polite if vague explanation.

Hope looked around the mostly empty table. She flicked her hand in the air, either gesturing to the room as a whole or nothing at all. Amusement tinged her voice when she spoke, "Do I even need an excuse?"

Lizzie sighed. "This was worse than New Year's in Monaco."

Caroline didn't ask, but from Hope's grin and Klaus' exasperated look she could guess that ranked the dinner pretty low.

* * *

As soon as Josie stepped out of the elevator she threw herself into every conversation she could, desperate for some of the normalcy she had lost the day before. After a few hours she ended up with Mayor Adamson, they stood by the floor to ceiling windows and discussed the upcoming election.

"So, Ms. Mikaelson, can I count on your vote?"

She smiled. "Of course, Julia."

Even though Josie had never liked Julia it was better for the family to keep her in office, her sister was a vampire and that made her quite lenient towards the supernatural community, and she was always willing to cooperate with her father when it came to how things in the city should be run. Besides, Josie was finding that she liked Julia better than Caroline and her annoyingly bright disposition.

Marcel walked over to them, the usual easy smile in place. "It's good to see you, Julia, would you mind if I stole her away for just a moment?"

"Of course, Marcel, I should go talk with Joshua about those noise complaints."

He led her away from the windows as the mayor went off to harass the young vampire about the rowdy patrons that frequented his bar.

"Is there a reason you needed me or could you just see me dying inside from across the room?" she murmured low enough that between the voices from the crowd and the music that drifted softly over the apartment only Marcel would pick up on it.

He laughed lightly. "There's someone I want you to meet. He should be... Ah, there he is." They cut through the mass of people to a man with blond hair and blue eyes. "This is Matt Donovan, district eight's newest detective. Matt, this is Josie Mikaelson."

She took his offered hand, a spark ran up her arm at the contact, she knew that feeling, he wasn't human, but then again neither were half the people around her. Josie smiled. "Nice to meet you, detective."

"You too," he said, then with a slight grimace, "Mikaelson, huh?"

She arched a brow. "You recognize the name, that's never good."

"Don't worry, kid, whatever grudges I had against your family are ancient history."

"Ancient history has come back to bite us in the ass more than a few times," she shot back.

He chuckled. "Can't say I'm surprised."

"Neither can we," she couldn't help the genuine smile that tilted her lips at his laughter.

* * *

Caroline stood on the balcony, the sounds from the street below drifted up to her as she considered calling Bonnie and venting about the night's events. Not that Bonnie needed any more bad news, she had enough to worry about without hearing Caroline's grievances.

With a sigh she pocketed her phone and turned back to the doorway.

Lizzie stopped in her tracks when she saw Caroline. Her hair was gathered messily at the top of her head, wearing an old T-shirt and lounge pants she certainly didn't look gala ready. "Didn't the party start a while ago?"

"Uh, yeah," Lizzie shifted nervously, "I'm not going."

"Why not?" She didn't seem like the type to shy away from the chance to socialize.

"It's just... Josie's much better at that kind of thing than I am."

"Better how?" she asked, her brow pinched in confusion.

"At talking to people, I just... I— I always say the wrong thing," she shrugged.

Yeah, she knew how that felt. It sucked. "Look, I know I haven't been the best mother these past twelve years, but can I offer a piece of motherly advice?" Lizzie nodded, and she took a deep breath before she continued. "Screw what other people think. That's it, isn't it? That feeling like everyone around you is just waiting for you to mess up."

Her expression, slightly ashamed and slightly embarrassed, was answer enough.

"Nobody is perfect. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to be flawless for people who are just as imperfect as the rest of us."

There was a beat of silence where Caroline worried she had overstepped her bounds, then Lizzie nodded. "There are a few hours left, I guess... I could go."

"You should!" she agreed happily. "It's Sunday night, go have fun."

Lizzie's smile was hesitant but genuine. "Thanks, I will." She started to walk away then paused in the doorway, and looked back over her shoulder. "I'm glad you're here, Caroline."

The words sparked a warmth in her chest she hadn't felt in years. The hope that had dimmed over time flared back to life. She could fix things, she _would_ fix things.

Footsteps made her turn towards the other side of the living room. Klaus stood there, his unsure expression almost identical to Lizzie's just moments before. "I thought I heard my daughter in here," he said, as if his presence in his own home warranted explanation.

"She was," a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, "but she's getting ready for the party now."

"That started hours ago."

"There is still such a thing as being fashionably late," she teased lightly.

He didn't smile as she had hoped, only nodded. "I'll talk with her later then."

"Maybe we could talk?" she blurted before he could walk away.

"I don't think now's the best time," he ran his fingers through his hair.

She crossed her arms and raised her brows. "It's not the best time because you have things to do or because you're avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you, Caroline, I'm simply too busy for a long conversation at the moment."

"Busy doing what?" she demanded, her already poor patience snapped.

His expression hardened. "I don't have to explain myself, especially not to _you_."

She blinked in surprise at the venom in his voice. "What does _that_ mean?"

His jaw worked for a moment, then he threw out his arms, and gave her a cold smile. "You want to talk? Let's talk. You _abandoned them_."

Her temper rose with his accusation. "I didn't abandon them, I sent them to you."

"Ah, yes, that spell you had your little witch put on them. You know, I have a witch of my own, and she said that it was a miracle that thing worked. And not well, I might add, I found them wandering the streets."

"I didn't exactly have many options!" she spoke louder than she meant to, almost shouting.

"So you just bet their lives on a mediocre witch!" he shouted back.

"Bonnie is not mediocre!"

"Then why could you not even locate them for over a decade?" his vicious expression smoothed suddenly into indifference. "Unless you weren't looking all that hard."

Her voice was quiet but dripped with rage when she spoke again, "Don't say that, you don't get to say that."

"Why not?" he shrugged. "I raised them, I was there for them when you weren't."

"You think I wanted to miss my kids growing up?" she glared at him. Of all the things he had done, every time he had lashed out or brought her to death's door only to pull her back, it all paled in comparison to the implication he was making.

"Well, it was certainly easier, wasn't it?"

"I spent every second of the last twelve years wishing I could get back to those girls, I chose their lives over my own happiness. There is nothing I wouldn't do to go back and be there for all the things you got to be there for, but I'll never get to teach them how to ride their bikes, or drive, or deal with their first crush." She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and quickly found the picture in her gallery, she turned the screen to him. "This, this is all I have of my daughters' childhoods."

In all the years of searching they had only found one picture, it was the twins and Klaus in a park, he was crouched down at their level as he pointed to something above them, smiles lit up their faces as they watched the sky. One picture, that was the only proof she had ever gotten that the spell worked.

After a moment he said quietly, "You left them."

"So, that's it? You've written me off?"

"No! You gave me two of my children and I will never be able to repay you for that, Caroline, but you're also the reason they woke up crying for people they didn't even remember. I can't decide whether I love you for what you've done or if I hate you."

"It wasn't supposed to go on this long," she spoke lowly as she tried to keep the stinging in her eyes from developing into tears. "I knew you would take care of them until it was safe enough for me to."

"Right, I was a _convenience_ ," he spat, "I ensured their safekeeping until you could take them and never let me see them again, because let's not pretend, It's not like we would've set up joint custody. But you didn't bother to think about what it would do to me, you didn't even consider that I would love them too or that it would kill me to lose them."

The pit in her stomach grew and turned to an ache in her chest. "No, I didn't, I just thought about keeping them alive."

Klaus went quiet at her admission, then nodded. "I kept them alive, and healthy, and happy. And I will continue to do so because they are my daughters, as they will always be."

"I'm not delusional, I know you'll always be in their lives," she took a deep breath. "But you aren't going to stop us from being a part of their lives either."

"That's yet to be seen," he warned.

Caroline wanted to rage, scream about him being crazy and unreasonable, wanted him to scream back that she was naive and her strict ethics would deteriorate over time. That she was used to, that she knew they could bounce back from.

But this wasn't like it used to be, and she finally understood why, neither of them were fighting for themselves anymore. They both cared about the girls fiercely, more than any kingdom or moral code. Neither would back down because it was no longer just their pride or integrity on the line.

"I hope you don't end up hating me," she told him calmly, "because I'm not going anywhere."

"I'd like to believe that for their sake," he replied, "but my faith in you has run dry."

Caroline watched him go, the argument had taken more out of her than it should have, there was genuine malice behind his words and the usual regret had been absent from his eyes.

It was apparent that another relationship besides those with her girls needed to be mended.

* * *

Lizzie drifted through the crowded apartment, feeling a little lost among the wealthy men and women. She had been in search of her sister for over an hour, and besides the few conversations she had fallen into with people she barely knew she had stayed mostly to herself.

Finally she decided it was a lost cause, Josie must have already left. The enthusiasm she had felt early was gone and if her sister wasn't there she saw no point in staying.

As she headed for the door someone stepped into her path and she crashed into them, the champagne in the woman's hand fell to the floor and splashed onto her expensive looking navy shoes.

"I'm so sorry!" Lizzie gasped.

"It's my fault, really, I'm such a klutz," her voice was heavy with an accent Lizzie couldn't place, Israeli maybe?

"I wouldn't be so sure," she smiled sheepishly, "disaster sort of follows me."

She smiled. "We certainly have that in common," she held out her hand, "I'm Sybil."

Lizzie took her hand happily. "Lizzie. Lizzie Mikaelson."

* * *

Josie had grown bored with the party after her conversation with Matt, she had spoken with others but nothing that captivated her attention for more than ten minutes at a time.

She looked up from her glass and ended up meeting a pair of electric blue eyes across the room. The man smirked, familiarity flickered in the back of her mind but she couldn't recall where she had seen him before, and then he was gone, swallowed by the sea of people.

Marcel was talking with the police commissioner, and Josie, having no interest in getting into another discussion, headed for the door without saying goodbye. Relieved that she spent the elevator ride alone, she stepped out in the lobby and headed out into the dimly lit night.

It wasn't a long walk from his apartment building to the compound, and the longer it took to get home the better, maybe she would even get lucky and little miss sunshine would be asleep by the time she got there.

She was almost to the Quarter when a hand clamped over her mouth. She struggled as the man pulled her into one of the dark alleyways. The gloves made biting pointless, he wouldn't feel it. So she tried something he would. Josie brought her leg up and threw her foot back as hard as could. The blow hit his thigh instead of his knee, but his grip faltered long enough for her to free her arm.

She snapped her elbow back into his face, and ran— right into another person. He grabbed her arms, she grabbed his in return. Her nails dug into his forearm as she siphoned him, the life-force buzzed with preternatural power.

"Incendia."

The flames lit the alley with the a hellish glow. She spun around to do the same to the other man, but before she could utter a word the back of his hand struck her face.

She hit the pavement, her ears rang with the force of the blow as the taste of blood filled her mouth. When her vision came back into focus the man was looking down at her in shock.

Then he fell forward with a squelching as his heart was pulled through his back. Lucien dropped the organ and offered her his clean hand to help her up.

She glared at him. "I had it."

He smirked. "Come now, dear, can't you even pretend you needed me?"

* * *

Soundtrack:

Scene two:

You and I — Ingrid Michaelson

Scene eight:

Way Down We Go — Kaleo

* * *

A\N: Don't worry some less intense klaroline scenes are coming soon! Again, thanks for reading and if you wanted to review I would appreciate it. The quote is Benjamin Franklin


	6. Old Scars

A\N: I know I'm not posting as much as I had hoped I'd be able to, but I am keeping with this story. Your patience is very much appreciated.

* * *

 **"Once you lose someone**

 **it is never exactly the same person who comes back."**

* * *

Caroline was happy to see Lizzie already at the table in the courtyard, even though Josie was nowhere in sight. It wasn't a surprise, after the night before she doubted Josie would even look at her.

"Good morning," Caroline said.

Lizzie looked up from her newspaper with a smile. "Good morning."

"Where is everyone?" Caroline asked once she was seated across from her daughter.

"Kol hasn't come home yet," Lizzie answered absently as her attention returned to the paper in her hand. "Marcel called daddy early and told him they had a problem, found some vampires dead in the Quarter or something. Hayley is with the Crescents, don't know where Elijah went."

"What about Josie?"

"School."

She looked up in surprise, Klaus let her go to a public school? "Why aren't you in school?"

Lizzie shrugged. "I have tutors. Josie begged daddy for weeks to let her go to an actual school for senior year."

"You didn't want to?"

She made a face. "No."

The gate opened and shut loudly, Kol walked into the courtyard, jacket slung over his shoulder. He dropped into the seat next to Lizzie, and kicked his feet up on the chair on the other side of him.

"Morning, Liz."

Caroline paused at the name, she hadn't realized anyone called her that. It sounded strange coming from him, but still there was satisfaction in it, knowing her mother had a connection to her daughter, however small it may be.

Lizzie made a face. "You reek of alcohol."

He leaned towards her and exhaled.

"Kol!" She swatted at him with her paper.

He smirked, and grabbed a pastry from one of the trays on the table.

Ric walked down the stairs, and took the seat next to Caroline. "I think I need the floor plans to this house."

Lizzie smiled. "It won't seem so big once you get used to it."

"Let's hope they don't stay around long enough for that to happen," Kol said.

"Don't be a dick," Hope said as she walked in, her jeans already covered in grease at nine in the morning. She nodded at Ric and Caroline. "Morning."

Ric nodded back.

Caroline smiled, Hope seemed to be a middle ground, unwilling to make blind judgments. "Good morning."

Hope leaned on Lizzie chair. "Hey, Lizzie, do you know where dad went... or how long it will take him to get back?"

She didn't look up from her paper. "Don't."

"Don't what? It was only a question."

"You want to sneak out five days into your punishment," she glared up at her sister, "don't."

"Why do you always take dad's side?" Hope groused.

Lizzie shrugged, and sipped at her coffee. "I would take your side if you were ever right."

Kol smirked at the casual barb.

"Lizzie," Caroline jumped at Masha's sudden appearance. The woman nodded towards one of the halls off the courtyard. "Damien is waiting for you in the study."

She got up quickly, her half-eaten breakfast left without thought. Caroline didn't miss the look of confusion Hope shot her uncle, or the disgust that twisted Kol's mouth.

"Who's Damien?" Ric demanded before Caroline got the chance.

"A witch," Hope answered with a frown, her eyes not quite focused on either of them.

"He's crazy!" Kol snarled. "The kid's been obsessed with Lizzie since they were twelve. He just can't seem to get it through his thick head that she isn't interested."

"I can't hear anything," Hope muttered irritably to herself.

"Why hasn't Klaus done something about him?" Caroline asked, unsure of exactly what 'something' would be.

"He's a witch," Hope repeated. "Young, but one of the most powerful in the coven, there's even talk he could be the next regent. Killing him would seriously piss off the coven."

"And Lizzie insists he's harmless," Kol added as he glared at the table, "so we do nothing."

Hope glanced down the hall Lizzie had disappeared into. "What do you think he wanted to see her about?"

"Couldn't possibly guess," he muttered venomously.

* * *

Any other Monday Klaus would have been livid at Marcel for demanding his presence before he had even had breakfast with his daughters, today was an exception. He didn't know what to say to Caroline after their argument, and to avoid more confrontation he decided to simply avoid her. Dealing with whatever Marcel was throwing a tantrum over was the best excuse he had.

The streets were scattered with college students on early spring breaks. Soon the city would be flooded with drunken twenty year olds, and he wasn't sure where Caroline would stand on the fact he killed three to ten men every spring break season for being too presumptuous with his daughters.

The thought annoyed him, they had a life and what opinions Caroline may or may not have on it should make no difference.

"Klaus!" Marcel stood across street in the mouth of an alleyway, he looked around nervously, his body angled to hide the alley from the view of passerbys.

He crossed the street, coming to stand beside his former ward. "This had better be important, Marcellus."

He moved to the side and Klaus saw the grey corpse, heart beside it. A vampire. There was no visible daylight talisman. A nightwalker. Apparently he would have to explain to Marcel what qualified as an emergency.

"Kid was turned a couple years back—"

"You have ten seconds to explain why this is worth my time or I will have to assume it's not."

Marcel nodded down the alley to another body he hadn't noticed due to the trash can partially concealing it. A singed pant leg caught his attention as they moved to study the second vampire.

Deep pits in the skin exposed the cooked organs inside, the heart blackened to the point it would crumble to ashes at the slightest touch.

"Smell it?"

"No accelerant." Klaus crouched to examine the burns. They were too even, no place on the body was significantly worse.

"There's no point of origin, he just burst into flames," Marcel said.

Annoyance curled his mouth into a snarl. Witches.

Klaus flashed away from the bodies, stopping on the cement staircase overlooking the Cauldron's open air market. People drifted from stand to stand, children who would only grow up to be a thorn in his side followed their parents through the crowded space.

"Witches of New Orleans!" Two hundred plus people turned to him, a myriad of expressions ranging from fear to confusion to anger. "I think some of you have become forgetful of our arrangement. I allow you to practice witchcraft, and you don't interfere with my business. Simple, yet I find myself having to remind you."

A particularly irritating witch moved through the crowd, Vincent stepped onto the stairs, coming to stand next to him on the landing.

Twenty years hadn't changed the man much. Magic could be quiet useful when one wanted to avoid the toll of time. Though his magic could do nothing to help him if Klaus decided to separate his heart from his body, and he had been tempted to do so often.

The fondness his daughter had for him was all that had saved the other man's life many times. Vincent being a mentor to Hope had not been intended, yet they seemed to gravitate towards each other. And Klaus also had to admit he helped Hope control her abilities. Not to mention he was a voice of reason she actually bothered to listen to.

It always came back to him being worth more alive than dead.

That didn't mean it wasn't grating when he walked right up to him, crossing his arms and giving him a tired look, like how a parent would look at a child throwing a tantrum. "What's this about, Klaus?"

He folded his hands behind his back, taking a few steps closer. "A vampire was found dead, it appears a witch was responsible."

He tilted his head slightly, unimpressed by his explanation. "What makes you think that?"

"They were burned alive. Witches seem to have a penchant for fire."

"Sure they weren't nightwalkers who stayed out a little too long? Sun can do some nasty damage to your kind."

Klaus clenched his jaw. "I'm sure."

Vincent nodded, stepping back. "I'll take care of it."

He stepped closer, enough to invade his personal space. "See that you do." He flashed away, leaving Vincent to deal with his own.

* * *

Damien gave her a curious look as she lit the sage. Once the smoke was curling steadily towards the ceiling she smiled apologetically. "My sister has a habit of listening in on private conversations," Lizzie explained.

"What exactly is this about, Elizabeth?" He gave her one of _those_ looks. The way he seemed to see through her was frightening, as if he knew every horrible thought and stupid mistake she had ever made.

"I think Josie's keeping something from me," she told him, head held high. She refused to be seen as anything less than his equal. "I want your help figuring out what it is."

His head tilted as he studied her, a mocking half smile appeared. "Isn't that what your little psychic private line is for?"

Lizzie grit her teeth, and spat out her admission. "She's been turning it off."

"Aw," his expression shifted into false sympathy, "sissy dearest has been cutting ties, has she?"

"She's been keeping secrets," she corrected, "I want to know what they are."

"Why should I? I'm going for regency, helping a Mikaelson hardly betters my chances." Damien circled her, his fingertips grazed her hair. "Of course, if you were a member of the coven—"

"I already have a coven." That was unnegotiable.

"Mmm, yes, your sisters," his voice dripped with distaste. "The liar and the affront to nature."

She shot him a wilting look. "If you can't help me I will find someone who can."

For a long moment he only returned her gaze, unaffected by her anger, then he shrugged. "Give me your hand."

Lizzie held out her hand. Damien gave her an exasperated look and grabbed her hand, threading their fingers. His magic was as disconcerting as the rest of him. It was hard to explain why, but it felt _thicker_ than other people's life-forces. Like taking a drink of what you thought was coke only to find out it's maple syrup.

The link burned in the back of her mind. It felt wrong to allow someone else access to their connection. Desperation made her push away the sense of violation. There was something wrong with Josie, she could feel it, she had to know.

Magic continued to seep from his palm into hers, becoming harder to swallow the stronger the connection became. Pain spiked through her head, images flooded into her mind as her eyes rolled back.

Josie brushing her hair. Walking to school. Talking to Eli. Sitting in history class as a headache grew.

Lizzie's eyes opened as she ripped her hand out of his grasp, panting from reliving four hours of Josie's day in five seconds. Guilt twisted in her chest as she realized what she had done. Everything she'd seen was normal. No secret. No fear. No reason to invade her sister's privacy.

Damien took in her remorseful look with a half smile. "Sorry, Elizabeth, no... _malicious_ powers at work."

She took a steadying breath, avoiding his eyes. "Thank you for your help. Masha will see you out," she said, her voice quiet and breathless.

Not caring about his reply, she walked quickly out of the room, away from what she had done and the only witness to her actions.

* * *

Josie shook her head in amusement as Rio told her about her fight with another wolf. "Have you considered not saying everything that pops into your head?"

Rio frowned thoughtfully. "No," she finally decided, a smile breaking through the faux seriousness.

The school was mostly deserted as they made their way to the locker room to change for practice. Her ringtone echoed through the empty hall, she took it from her pocket to ignore the call, hesitating when she saw the number.

Rio looked back at her, dark ponytail falling over her shoulder. "Everything alright?"

"Uh, yeah, you go ahead," she nodded down the hall, "I have to take this."

"Coach will kill you if you're late," Rio reminded her as she walked away.

Josie waited until she was out of hearing range to answer. "Hey, is something wrong?"

"Darling, that's not the first thing you should think when you see my number," Lucien said.

The smile in his voice eased her initial concern. She leaned against the wall. "Want to tell me why you called then?"

"I was thinking Brazil this weekend."

Josie stared at the row of lockers in front of her. "What?"

"Me and you. Brazil. This weekend. It isn't that complex a plan, dear."

She rolled her eyes. "I can't go to another country."

"New York?"

She couldn't help the laugh that left her lips. "I can't leave for an entire weekend."

"New York's hardly a day trip."

She bit her lip as she smiled. "Lucien, what would I tell my dad?"

"You're a legal adult?"

She wished it could be that easy, but no matter how old she got she would always be Klaus Mikaelson's daughter. The target on her back didn't have an expiration date. Going to another state, even another city, without someone from her family would be a huge risk. Not to mention the danger it would put Lucien in—

A whistle cut through her thoughts, she looked down the hall to see Coach impatiently waiting. "Well, your Highness, will you be gracing us with your presence?"

"I have to go, I'm sorry," she said hurriedly. "See you tomorrow, promise."

She hung up, shoving her phone into her gym bag and hurrying to the locker room with a muttered apology to Coach.

* * *

Caroline had spent the day worrying about Lizzie. After her meeting with Damien she had holed up in her room, sending away both Kol and Hope when they went to check on her. She was caught between wanting to find out what had happened or giving her her space.

 _Decision made_ , she thought, standing in front of Lizzie's door.

Slowly but deliberately she lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles against the door. Muffled by the thick wood, it was much quieter than she had expected. Repeating the motion harder she heard a sigh from inside the room.

"For the last time, he didn't do anything!" She heard Lizzie stomp across the room. "I just want to be alone!" She swung open the door, her irritation turning to surprise when she saw Caroline.

"Just checking on you, you've been in here awhile."

She nodded, a bit bashfully. "Sorry, I thought you were Kol."

"You guys fight a lot?"

"Only when he's being annoying." She shrugged. "Oh, sorry," she opened the door wider. "Come in."

Caroline walked in. Her eyes widened. It was three times the size of her old bedroom. The window to her right was covered by a white trellis, fake roses wrapped around it. There was a large canopy bed— literally, fake trees stood on either side of the round bed— on a platform in the back of the room.

The other side of the room was scattered with easels, papers, and other art supplies, some of which Caroline didn't even know the make of.

All four walls covered with murals of hedge mazes, trees, and vine choked arches.

"This is..." She shook her head, "wow."

She smiled. "When I was little I wanted a garden, since we didn't have a yard daddy and Kol made my room into a garden instead."

"You paint?" She nodded towards the mess of brushes and canvas.

"Yes," she admitted shyly. "I'm not as good as dad, but yeah, I paint."

"Can I...?"

"Uh, sure," she fiddled with the charms on her bracelet, "yeah. Go ahead."

Caroline went to the desk, carefully picking up one of the sketches. It was Hope, a wrench in her fist, standing beside an old car. It looked like a page torn out of a comic book, a speech box at the top of the page read "Work, M$therF#cker!"

Lizzie cringed when she saw which one she had picked up. "That's, uh—"

"It's really good," Caroline said. It wasn't hard to imagine Hope screaming profanities at an inanimate object. She set the paper down, picking up the one that had been under it. Josie, standing on a city street, buildings towering around her. New York, maybe Chicago.

She found herself staring at the smiling girl. She had seen Josie smile like that in the last two days, at Klaus, at Lizzie, at Kol, but never at her. Her throat felt tight as she studied each line, eventually setting it down, and giving Lizzie a small smile. "That's nice."

She didn't reply, only gave her a sympathetic look.

Caroline quickly picked up a different paper, ignoring the sting of unshed tears in her eyes. Kol. Of course. All that was missing was a literal idol.

She set it back on the desk. "You two are pretty close, huh?"

Lizzie nodded. "Accepting my magic was easier when he helped me. I actually desiccated his hand the first time I met him."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I was trying to ask him a question while he was leaving a message on the phone, and I got angry. I grabbed his hand and accidentally siphoned the hell out of him."

Caroline grimaced. "How mad was he?"

"Not mad, he was really excited." Lizzie smiled. "It was the first time anyone treated our abilities like a gift instead of a curse. We spent the rest of the night going over grimoires about our kind, and spells only we could do."

She felt a twinge of guilt. Her first reaction to her daughters power hadn't been as enthusiastic.

Bonnie had worked with the girls, taught them the basics, but they never explored anything specific to their gifts. Never treated them differently. Maybe that was a mistake. They were different, unique. Caroline should have embraced that.

Caroline smiled. "Right, well, I'll let you get back to whatever it is you were doing before I interrupted."

"Alright," she agreed. "Josie should be home any minute."

"Okay." She left the room. The floor creaked under her feet as she walked down the hall to the concrete stairs. It was a nice house, well preserved. There was an elegance in its simplicity. Whoever had built it had known what they were doing.

Wait. Had _Klaus_ built it? It made sense, it seemed to be planned to last. The kind of attention to detail that came from someone used to thinking in the long-term.

Preoccupied with her thoughts she didn't notice the man himself walking up the stairs until they met on the landing.

They both stopped, both unsure where they had left things.

If he wouldn't break the awkward tension, she would. "Lizzie said some vampires were killed in the Quarter. Did you figure out why?"

Klaus' fingers drummed impatiently on the banister. "Yes. It's nothing for you to worry about," he said, "I've taken care of it."

Caroline's brow pinched. "'Taken care of it'?"

"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go beg forgiveness from my daughter for cancelling her favorite trip of the year." Caroline didn't stop him as he brushed past her.

* * *

" _Faces all around me they don't smile, they just crack_ ," Hope nodded along with the song that had come on her favorite throwback station.

The new master cylinder had finally come in, Luke had dropped it off though hadn't stayed long. Word had spread that the oldest Mikaelson daughter wasn't allowed visitors, and with Luke's already precarious position in her father's good graces he hadn't risked sticking around too long.

Upstairs Lizzie had let someone in to her room. Caroline. Interesting that she let her in and not Kol. He was always the one who got through to her. Maybe that would change now that the blonde was here.

Josie had done well without a mother. Lizzie had a harder time letting go of what could have been. Rarely did she mention it, never, in fact. It was the wistful looks every time a commercial featured a mother and daughter, or the gloom that hung over her on mother's day each year.

Hopefully Caroline and Ric would be the people her sister needed. Both of her sisters, Lord knew Josie needed a parental figure that could tell her no.

" _So give me something to believe. 'Cause I'm living just to breath..._ " The part in front of her went out of focus. Dizziness swirled her thoughts, the world tilted around her. Grabbing the workbench to keep balance, she felt the familiar tug of a vision. Like waves lapping over her conscious, pulling her into dark waters.

Just as soon as it had come it disappeared. The last notes of the song told her it had been longer than it seemed. The exhaustion hit her even though the vision never had.

She flicked off the radio, and left the garage. She barely made it to her bed before collapsing. Visions were more draining than spells or rituals, and she never had a choice in when they happened.

Considering the things she saw had saved lives on more than one occasion she would take the inconvenience.

* * *

It had been eight minutes since Klaus had called the bartender and his glass still sat empty on the table in front of him. This was precisely why he had a bar in his home, but drinking there meant hearing Caroline walking around the house talking to herself. Normally her mumbling wouldn't have bothered him. In fact, he usually enjoyed it.

Now it was a reminder that she was finally there, and he couldn't even talk to her. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

He feared all she could see when she looked at him was the time she lost with her daughters. This might be the one thing they couldn't come back from.

Sacrificing her best-friend, turning her boyfriend, putting her life in danger— twice. None of it was unforgivable. Yet the one time he put someone else before himself, he probably irreparable damaged their relationship.

A bottle hit the table. Rebekah dropped into the chair opposite to him. "Drinking alone?" She smiled. "I haven't seen you this miserable in years."

"I'm glad you're amused," he muttered, refilling his glass.

Her smile vanished, and she looked suddenly tired as she ran her fingers through her hair. "You're panicking."

"No, I'm awaiting the inevitable outcome of my children choosing them. No matter that they weren't there—"

She slammed her hands on the table. "They're here now, Nik. They're trying. God knows I have no love for that woman, but have you stopped to consider that they might be the only people on this earth that love those kids as much as you do?"

"And if they leave again? It was one thing to know they had biological parents somewhere, it's another to know them, to love them, and then lose them."

"They seem willing to risk that," she stood, looking at him sadly, "but if you can't get pass this, you might be the one losing her."

His sister walked away, leaving him to dwell on the thought. Was it a bad thing? That two of the people he loved most in the world she loved too? He looked down at the amber liquid in his glass. Things could be different this time, better.

He downed the glass and stood. It was time to go home.

* * *

Soundtrack:

Scene six:

Believe — The Bravery

Scene seven:

The Courage Or The Fall — Civil Twilight

* * *

A\N: Next chapter there will be a longer klaroline scene. Thanks for reading! Please review. The quote is Sharon Olds


	7. Like Real People Do

•

"I find in you,

Everything I lack in me."

* * *

Josie walked towards the brick building, pack slung over her shoulder. The last thing she wanted to do was sit through a lecture, or perform lab experiments. The past seventy-two hadn't made her eager to stay home, but sitting in a classroom wasn't all that inviting either.

She looked up and met a hazel gaze across the parking lot. Lucien leaned against his car, he smiled.

Hurrying across the lot, she swatted his arm once she stood beside him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Well, you shot down my Brazil plan," he said, "I thought we could spend the day together."

She thought about the cold fluorescent light, and Ms. Lark's tapping foot. Somehow that was better than being at home. She missed being with him. Whether they were talking or just sitting around together. "One problem with your plan. If my dad found out he would go ballistic, and the office will definitely call him if I don't show up."

His hand settled on her waist, pulling her closer. "That's what compulsion is for, _mon amour_. Can't you break the rules," he kissed her cheek lightly. "Just today?" His lips brushed across her jaw. "For me?"

"Fine," she agreed, feeling him smile against her cheek. "But I have to be back in time for lacrosse practice."

"Of course, love," he nipped at her ear, chuckling when she yelped. "I'll be right back." He kissed her forehead sweetly before walking towards the administration office to compel her attendance.

* * *

Lizzie walked through the farmer's market, brightly colored tarps and fabrics shaded tables filled with everything from food to clothing. Her wicker basket was heavy on her arm, items placed together like a jigsaw puzzle barely kept balance as she moved.

Most of the witches ignored her, despite Vincent's influence the majority of the covens didn't accept her or Josie. Unnaturals, they called them. Despite that she had gotten the ingredients needed for the spells she was practicing.

A bundle of yellow flowers caught her attention. Those would look nice in the courtyard, it was always so grey. A few flowers would liven—

Lizzie ran into someone, the contents of her basket went flying along with those of a pink bag. "Oh! I'm sorry." Lizzie looked up and felt her face redden. It was her. The woman whose shoes she had drenched in champagne at Marcel's party.

She laughed, and crouched down to help Lizzie gather the scattered items. "Don't worry. I was more focused on that dress over there than where I was going."

Lizzie handed her a package of thyme, picking up her own vial of peppermint oil. The items didn't fit as well as they had, and Lizzie knew she would probably spill them again during the walk home.

She smiled. "I know, I was too busy thinking about flowers to realize there was someone standing right in front of me."

Sybil looked over her to the flower cart. "Word of advice, don't buy from them. Totally overpriced. There's a much cheaper place a few rows over. I can show you, if you want."

"That would be great," Lizzie agreed. The positive energy from Sybil was a nice change from the strife in her home. Spending a little more time with her couldn't hurt anything.

* * *

The endless blue above them was cloudless. Bird songs drifted from the trees that surrounded the wildflower spotted clearing they had set their blanket out in. Her head rested on his chest, feeling the subtle rise and fall as he breathed.

"Mary Stuart?"

"No," Lucien answered, threading his fingers through her hair.

She hummed in thought. "Da Vinci?"

"Briefly." The breeze picked up, ruffling the edge of the red blanket they were lounging on. "There are quite a few extraordinary people history has forgotten."

"Like who?" Josie asked softly, absently fidgeting with one of the buttons on his shirt.

After a moment of thought he replied, "Moira DeMarco." There was a reverence in his voice she hadn't heard before. "She was hung for murder."

"She killed someone?" Murder wasn't as big a deal to Josie as she knew it should be, though she couldn't see why he respected her for it.

"With an axe," he said, running his fingers languidly up and down her back. "When accused she didn't deny it. Moira knew she would die, and she still killed him."

A sinking feeling broke through the tranquility she had felt being there with him. "Why?"

"The man she murdered had raped her and other women in the town. No one would listen, and eventually she realized if she didn't do something nobody would. By the time they found his body he was mutilated almost beyond recognition. She was willing to die for justice nobody else would carry out."

Moira DeMarco. History may have forgotten her but it was clear the lasting impression she'd made on Lucien. Josie wanted to have that kind of strength, that conviction. "Was she human?"

"A witch. I talked to her once after her death, she seemed at peace on the Other Side."

The Other Side had been destroyed before Josie was born. Vincent always said he believed the worthy went on to a better place, a peaceful place. She hoped he was right. Maybe Moira was there.

But wherever that eternal peace was Josie doubted she'd get passed the front gates. For now though, she was here, with Lucien, and the sky was so blue...

* * *

Caroline looked up from her magazine as Lizzie skipped into the room, humming as she rearranged flowers in a glass vase. She smiled brightly when she noticed Caroline sitting on the couch.

"Aren't these perfect?" She set the vase on the coffee table. "It brightens the whole room."

"They're nice," Caroline agreed, glad to see the gloom that had been hanging around her the day before was gone.

Lizzie adjusted one of the bright yellow daisies, and seeming pleased with the result turned back towards the door. Klaus walked passed her as she walked out of the room.

"She seems to be in a better mood," he noted.

So, that's what they were doing? Pretending nothing was wrong. "Yeah." She nodded to the table. "She got flowers."

"Caroline," he sat on the other couch, clasping his hands in front of him, "I haven't been entirely fair to you."

She closed her magazine and crossed her arms. "Go on."

He looked down at his hands. "I've allowed my fears to dictate my actions. Old habits and all."

"Is that an apology?" Not that he had ever been very good at them, but this one was particularly weak.

"A statement, actually." Klaus met her eyes. "Unfair does not necessarily mean my concerns were unfounded."

Circles. They were just going round and round in circles. No matter what she said it would come back to this. "I'm trying to make this better."

"I can tell. I can also tell how much you love them— you and Alaric." He huffed a laugh. "I've seen the way you love people, ferociously, with this all-consuming loyalty. It's— it's the kind of love they deserve."

A flicker of doubt went through her. It wasn't like him to admit he was wrong, or even that someone else could be right. "You aren't angry?"

"Of course, I'm angry," he sighed, looking away from her again. "I'm angry at the situation. At myself for how poorly I've handled it all." He looked back to her. "But, no, Caroline, I'm not angry with you."

"I definitely wasn't expecting that," Caroline said, then added hurriedly, "but I appreciate it."

"We've spent enough time fighting against each other. We're on the same side, it's about time all of us started acting like it." He paused. "I deeply regret my actions and I am truly sorry."

Okay, that was a better apology than she thought he was capable of. "We had a spat," she smiled slowly, "I'm over it."

* * *

Pain would have been easier. Pain she knew.

It was the heaviness that tortured her. As if her limbs were turned to steel, and concrete encased her heart.

She had spent an eternity in the room, or maybe minutes. It didn't matter. This was all there would ever be. Cold floorboards. The mirror. The heaviness.

 _Her_.

Heels tapped against the floor as she walked towards her. No warning, no entrance, she was simply there.

"Hello, little witch," her voice was deceptively soft.

She glared up at the girl. No point wasting strength speaking venomous words. _Bitch._

The girl smiled at her thought, whether psychic or simply a side effect of whatever world they were in, she heard everything. "Perhaps seeing your beloved would make you feel better."

She was too weak to fight as the raven-haired girl crouched next to her, grabbing a fist full of her hair to keep her from looking away from the mirror. Her reflection distorted and blurred, then an image came into focus.

Kol sat across from a tomb, leaning against the wall of the mausoleum beside it. He was drinking. Again. Her heart ached knowing she had caused him that pain.

"I know you can't hear me," he took a shuddered breath, "but I keep coming here because... because I'm weak. I can't do this without you. I can't wake up every day knowing I have to live a life that you aren't a part of." He shut his eyes tightly, the bottle shattered under his grip. She winced as glass cut into his hand, he didn't seem to notice. "I love you, Davina Claire, and that, I believe, is the greatest punishment I could have received."

Tears slipped down her face, falling silently to the floor. She wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, that her soul wasn't shattered, that she loved him too. But she couldn't reach him, she couldn't even speak.

Then he was gone, and it was only her miserable reflection staring back at her.

"So many years," the girl said, releasing her hold. "Pain like that just doesn't fade. It's a living thing, tearing you apart from the inside out. Until, eventually, all you are is a shell, and the pain is all that remains."

She stood, and took a few steps away. "My sisters will wake me soon. Then, perhaps, you can truly know the nothingness." As easily as she had appeared she was gone.

But she wouldn't let herself be lost. Davina, she was Davina Claire. She had cheated death before, she had destroyed the Ancestors, and faced down far more frightening enemies than a teenage ghost with psychopathic tendencies.

Pushing herself off the ground she managed to roll onto her back. Staring at the web covered wood beams above made her think of the attic... and Marcel... Josh... and Kol. There were still things were fighting for, people she wasn't ready to let go of.

 _Davina_ , she thought again, _I'm Davina Claire_.

* * *

Soundtrack:

Scene Two:

New Soul — Yael Naim

Scene five:

Bury — Unions

* * *

The quote is R. M. Broderick. It's kind of short for such a long wait, the next chapter will be much longer. Did you guys like the apology? What Lizzie's getting herself into? Thanks for reading, and reviews are wonderful to see.


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